Carol Joan Balke

Carol Joan Balke, 89, a 50-year resident of Beloit, WI died peacefully Oct. 3, 2017 in Colorado Springs, CO. Carol has joined her beloved husband Carl--64 years to the very day they married, now riding their bicycles together on their favorite Wisconsin trails, for eternity. The former Carol Tollefsen was born April 7, 1928, in Chicago, of a Norwegian immigrant and a rural-Illinois orphan. After graduating from high school in 1945, she worked as a secretary, eventually meeting Carl at a church social. Married in 1953, the duo relocated to Milwaukee and then to Beloit, WI in 1960, with young daughters Karen and April. Carl, a navy veteran, co-owned a home heating-oil distribution business in Beloit for more than 30 years. They welcomed an international student, Josuane Wong, into the family in 1966, honorary daughter and sister to the present day. Carol excelled on many fronts: mother; homemaker; cook; neighbor; and as a steady volunteer -- Girl Scouts, “Picture Lady” in the elementary schools, and Harbor for the Homeless. She was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church for many decades. Eventually she lent her organizational skill to a 17-year career as Program Secretary at the Beloit YMCA, retiring in 2000. Carl gifted Carol a Raleigh 3-speed bicycle in the late 1960s, and a new passion took hold -- from pedaling Wisconsin bike trails to evening picnic rides on picturesque county roads. Biking into their late 70s, the two logged approximately 10,000 miles over the course of 40 years. In summers, the family pulled their pop-up camper on many cross-country road trips; Carl and Carol later traveling regularly to the San Francisco Bay Area where Karen relocated in 1985, and Colorado Springs, April’s home since 1986. Carol moved to Colorado Springs in 2010, after Carl’s death in 2008. Once her health declined earlier this year, she moved into a skilled nursing facility. Her journey into Carl’s arms has been very sad, but also gentle thanks to the love of her family and many dear and thoughtful friends who reached out in recent months to share fond remembrances of how she and Carl touched their lives. The treasured photos and stories shared brought a smile to Carol’s face and she often asked they be re-read so she could revisit those happier times again. Heartfelt love over the miles and decades has meant so much! Carol is survived by daughters Karen Balke and April Tooke; honorary daughter Jo Duckworth of Milwaukee, WI and her son, Owen, of Minneapolis, MN; grandsons Raphael Cornford (Melanie) of Bloomington, IN; Alex Tooke (Darlene) and Sean Patrzik of Colorado Springs, CO; brother Norman Tollefsen of Los Angeles, CA; and other relatives scattered in various mostly Midwestern states along with those in Germany. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Carol’s name can be made to the Humane Society of Southern Wisconsin (https://www.petsgohome.org/donate/memorials), a fitting remembrance of her love of cats and the many fine felines who found their forever homes with her. Condolences may be expressed through http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/neptune-society/obituary.aspx?n=Carol-Balke&lc=1903&pid=186850457&uuid=f8d698f1-e536-42a0-9e3c-9c873422214f