Shirley Helen Whitaker Balls, 84, of Soda Springs passed away Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011 at the Caribou Memorial Hospital Living Center.


She was born Dec. 11, 1926 in Montpelier to Secyl Fenton and Hortense Marie Groo Whitaker.


Shirley graduated from Montpelier High School in 1945 and attended one year of college at Utah State University in Logan. She served an LDS mission to the Eastern Canada Mission. She worked for a time at Kings and at First Security Bank in Montpelier, and at the Caribou County Sun.


She met and a short time later married Merrill R. Balls on Jan. 12, 1955 in the Logan LDS temple and raised four children. She was an excellent cook. Her hand dipped chocolates were a favorite of family and friends.


She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and held numerous positions including stake Relief Society President, a teacher in the Relief Society and Primary, and was a visiting teacher as well as visiting teacher coordinator.


She was an avid BYU sports fan, loved to follow and support the Utah Jazz, was a competitive UNO player with her grandchildren and enjoyed water coloring and gardening.


Shirley is survived by her husband Merrill, two sons, and two daughters, Kevon (Kathleen) Balls of South Jordan, UT, Sheryl Balls, Soda Springs, Christine Davis, South Jordan, UT and Howard (Suzanne) Balls, Soda Springs; 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; one brother Mark Whitaker, Montpelier and one sister Joyce Chatterton, Pocatello. She was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, Keith.


Services will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 11 a.m. at the Soda Springs Stake Center. Family will meet together with friends on Friday, Sept 16 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Sims Funeral Home and on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., prior to the services. Burial will be at the Fairview Cemetery in Soda Springs.