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Ballard, James "Larry"

August 11, 1937 –
 September 20, 2018

Obituary

BALLARD, James LARRY peacefully slipped away on Thursday, Sept. 20th with his wife, Paula, by his side and his 3 children, Debbie, David & Jay close by. He was our Rock, If it was broken he could fix it.  If it was hurt he was there to make it better.  He had that gift of gab that made you smile. Larry, was a resident and active volunteer of Wichita Falls for over 20 years, before recently relocating to Dallas to be close to family and outstanding medical staff. His long and esteemed HVAC career included 25+ years beginning in Tyler, Texas at GE/Trane, Carrier and retiring at Magic Aire in Wichita Falls in addition to owning his own photography studio as a Professional Photographer and owning Business Consulting company. He was a devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather and friend. He will be missed deeply by all those whose life he touched.  He leaves behind the love of his life, his wife of 54 years, Paula; daughter Debbie Landry (husband David, children Wyatt & Victoria); son David (wife Laly, children Sarah, Katie, Hunter & Dylan); son Jay (wife Stephanie, children Stephen & Sam), In-laws Jane Homolka, Sharon Morris & Dennis Morris, nieces and nephews. He was incredibly proud of his family and will continue to watch over each one of them with a smile. He loved his friends and kept in touch with many throughout the years as he made new ones to enjoy life with. There were so many things that Larry loved deeply, they included world travels with friends, The NRA, Amateur Ham Radio, Hotter’N Hell, Sheriff’s Alumni, North Texas Genealogical Association, the Aeris Weather Team and his beloved Dallas Cowboys! Please join us for A Celebration of Larry’s Life and Legacy on Sunday, Sept. 30th, 2.p.m. at St. Mark’s Methodist Church, 4319 McNeil Ave., Wichita Falls. There will be a brief reception following the service in the Fellowship Hall.  In lieu of flowers, donations to UT Southwestern, Faith Presbyterian Hospice Dallas or Patsy’s House. https://www.utsouthwestern.edu/simmons/about/make-a-gift.html https://www.faithpreshospice.org/donate/ http://patsyshouse.org/donate/ Please forward family cards and your thoughts of sympathy to ARIA Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road, Dallas, Texas 75252. Arrangements are under the direction of ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road Dallas, Texas 75252 214-306-6700  

    Pat Thacker
    24 Sep 2018
    11:17pm

    Paula and family: thank you for taking time to call me about Larry’s death. What a great man he was! He ALWAYS stood ready to help others. He was an inspiration through his service to Patsy’s House in Wichita Falls,and was a wise and willing volunteer during some challenging times there. His ready smile and his giving spirit left an indelible print on all with whom he worked. My deepest sympathy to you and your family as you navigate your lives during the next months.
    Fondly
    Pat Thacker

    Carla McDowell
    25 Sep 2018
    1:19am

    Debbie & Family, I am so sorry for your loss. Praying for you.

    Greg Thomas and Family
    25 Sep 2018
    10:22am

    Our hearts and prayers are with you during this time of sadness. Praying for your strength and comfort.

    Shirley & Jim Kapelski
    25 Sep 2018
    2:02pm

    Paula, Jim & I are so sorry. Larry was such a wonderful, man. He was the greatest neighborhood watch
    president. We sure missed him & you when
    you had to leave our neighborhood. God bless
    and comfort you. Love and prayers.
    Jim & Shirley Kapelski.

    Mariann Kidd McKinney
    25 Sep 2018
    2:49pm

    Dearest Paula,We are thinking about you and the family.My prayer group prayed for him this very morning.He will be with you in your hearts always.
    Love Mariann

    Laverne Patterson
    25 Sep 2018
    5:29pm

    GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN GOD BLESS YOUR FAMILY , STAY STRONG ❤️

    Laura (Neun) Mynaugh
    25 Sep 2018
    9:24pm

    Dear Paula, Debbie, Dave, Jay and Family. I am so sorry to hear the loss of one of our “adopted” Maryland family. I have such fond memories of spending holidays with you and huge snowstorms sledding on a Radio Flyer down Jay Em Circle. My thoughts and prayers are with each one of you and I hope that you continue to be surrounded by His comfort and peace. With love, Laura

    Laresa Maroney
    25 Sep 2018
    9:55pm

    Sadden to hear about Larry. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and family. The Chelsea Drive neighborhood truly miss the Ballard family. We appreciate the hard work y’all put in keeping the neighborhood informed and safe. Larry was an amazing, strong ,hard working, and caring person. I enjoy the time working beside him and miss y’all. Your friend and neighbor Laresa & Kerry Maroney.

    26 Sep 2018
    11:15am

    Paula, Debbie, David, and Jay. So many years ago Larry welcomed me to the Ballard Family with “Open Arms.” He always expressed his Love, Support, and Affection to our family. We are so grateful to have known Larry and been are part of the Ballard Family for so many years. We are so sorry for your loss of Larry; the son of the most wonderful Mother and Father, the husband of a loving wife, and the father of three loving children. Our hearts and prayers are with you for your loss of Larry.
    Lisa, Carla, Kimberly, and Carol Ballard

    Rod & Vickie Nason
    26 Sep 2018
    5:52pm

    We were relatively new neighbors to Larry and Paula on Chelsea St. with them always illustrating great concern and friendship.
    Larry was always keeping us up to date on Chelsea St. concerns, just this spring he witnessed a concerted effort to correct a rattlesnake problem in our area which was greatly appreciated.
    Our prayers are with Paula and the family.

    George & Carol Ancell
    28 Sep 2018
    11:53am

    So sorry for the loss of your loved one. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

    Garry Upton
    28 Sep 2018
    1:55pm

    When I last talked with Larry we felt there would be another half year and more before he stepped into his next life. He didn’t want to leave his family and friends. I believe he did look forward to what would be though, and now he knows. Diana and my prayers are for all of you. Larry was a great influence in my life. I too will miss him. Jay, thanks for asking him to call me when he did.

    Judy & Dennis Appleby
    30 Sep 2018
    1:19pm

    Someone we were honored to know. We will miss him.
    Judy & Dennis Appleby

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Testimonials

R. Driver
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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.

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      972-526-7410
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