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Balster, Julia Zimmerman

May 17, 1934 –
 December 12, 2016

Obituary

Julia Zimmerman Baltser, 82 of Dallas passed away December 12, 2016. Her memorial service will be held at Highland Springs in Dallas on January 5, 2017 at 1:00 pm. Julia was born in Dallas to J.C. and Tillie Zimmerman on May 17, 1934. She went to Highland Park High school and graduated in January 1953. Julia went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Methodist University and her Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from University of Texas Arlington.  Her thesis subject was on the revitalization of the Graham, Texas county courthouse. The local city leaders were so impressed with her plan, that her thesis was used as the basis for their 3-5 year downtown revitalization effort. In her youth, Julia was active in the Texas Christian Youth Council and served as President for several years. Another passion was her involvement with the Girl Scouts. She became a senior Girl Scout during high school in troop 148 and worked as a counselor at a Girl Scout camp in St. Louis. Her love of scouting continued when she served as leader for her daughter’s troop, 578 for several years. In her early teens, she began a lifelong love of stamp collecting and was a member of the Dallas Park Cities Philatelic Society and the Chinese Philatelic Society.  Julia was a member of the Jane Douglas Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution and was nominated for the national outstanding Junior DAR in 1963. Julia was an avid gardener and always had fresh flowers in the house. Over the years, she was a member of several garden clubs and won many competitions. She especially enjoyed the art of flower arranging and joined the Dallas chapter of Ikebana International, where she often gave talks and demonstrated flower arranging techniques. She was a charter member of Ikebana. To add to her love of the Asian culture, she joined and became a charter member of the Japanese America Society. Throughout her life, she enjoyed arts in all forms. During school she sang second soprano in both school and church choirs; she painted watercolors; enjoyed sketching, especially flowers and was a sculptor. Another art form she relished was the art of travel. She traveled the world extensively and enjoyed learning the culture of the countries she visited. Her travels to the southwest in the last 10 years  lead her to develop a passion for American Indian pottery. After earning her Master’s Degree, Julia joined the local chapter of ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects). She was an active member, served as the DFW Chair for a few years and became an Emeritus member in 2010. She organized many of the chapter events and assisted in organizing one of the state conventions. Julia was the recipient of ASLA’s Community Service Award and their Distinguished Service Award. Her Community Service included- ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects) DART Professional Society Liaison committee 1987-90; Chair of University Park Master Plan committee 1988-89; Public liaison to the University Park Police Department for crime watch 1990 and served as a Trustee in the Oak Cliff Cemetery Association. Julia is preceded in death by her parents, JC and Tillie; a sister Rita Duncan; husbands John Baltser and Richard Weedfall. She is survived by daughters Catherine (Todd) White, Plano; Elizabeth (Robert Morrison)Thompson, Plano; and Ruthann Weedfall, Richardson; sister Elizabeth Edwards, Dallas; grandson James White; granddaughter Katie White; nieces Mimi (Jeff) Kackley, Charleston, S.C. and Virginia (Brian)Norment Alexandria, Virginia. Arrangements are under the direction of ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road Dallas, Texas 75252 214-306-6700              

    Ralph & Bobbie Detwiler
    4 Jan 2017
    11:16am

    Julia was our neighbor here at Highland Springs Retirement in Dallas. She was instrumental in beautifying the corner of our building, Springdale Vista, of which we are eternally grateful. We will miss her whizzing down the halls on her scooter. She lived in a lot of pain and now she is free. Rest in Peace, Julia.

    John Eisenlohr
    4 Jan 2017
    3:01pm

    Thanks for your many years of service on the Board of the Oak Cliff Cemetery Assoc.

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"Excellent customer service, they made you feel like you were their only customer. Very helpful and explained what we should expect during the process. They basically took care of our needs during this time. They contacted DFW National Cemetery for us which made it a smooth experience. Definitely will use them again."
K. Barker
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"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
R. Woll
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"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
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"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
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"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
Elledge Family
Elledge Family
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"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
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"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
Paula BarnesGoogle Review
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"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
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  1. If death has occurred and or is imminent, please call the Aria location nearest you.

    PRESTON ROAD
    214.306.6700

    NORTHWEST HIGHWAY
    214.340.8008

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  4. Fax the forms back to us at:
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      214-340-8009
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      972-526-7410
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