Diane K. Balling

Diane K. Balling, 86, of Ramona, SD, died Tuesday, October 10, 2023, at Ava’s Hospice House in Sioux Falls, SD.

Diane Kay Cohrs was born the second daughter of August and Ethel (Nelsen) Cohrs on June 27, 1937, near Westbrook, MN. Diane started school in District 105 Country School. She moved into Westbrook with her family when she was 8 and graduated from Westbrook High School. She joined the Baptist church at age 10. Diane married Bernard Balling in 1955 and had 6 children. Due to Bernard’s health, he started to work for the mobile home industry, which caused the family to live in many different states, including Michigan, Kansas, South Dakota and northern Minnesota.  Diane returned to college at Dakota State University in Madison, graduating in 1977. She moved to Rapid City, SD, doing book work for a moving company and a group of attorneys. She retired from the Department of Revenue in Pierre, SD, in 2000. She worked for East River Electric and Dakota State College in Madison.

She enjoyed her flower gardens, her sewing quilts, embroidery machine, mending for friends and neighbors, and volunteered to drive people to Dr. appointments for Itasca County, MN for 10 ½ years and Lake County, SD, Madison Hospital for 4 years after retirement.

She is survived by three daughters – Becky (Jim) Robertshaw of Bovey, MN, Beth (Allen) Abraham of Ramona, SD, Bebe (Roger) Abraham of Ramona; two sons – Bernard Jr. (Tina) of Milbank, SD, and Bruce (Christina) of Montclair, VA, one sister, three brothers-in-law, and one sister-in-law; 15 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Bernard in 2015; one daughter, Barbara; both sets of grandparents – Ned and Anna Nelsen, Henry and Christina Cohrs; Dorothy Clift of Canada, 5 brothers-in-law and 4 sisters-in-law and one granddaughter, Jessica Merryman.

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