Patricia Balestra (nee Souza)

Beloved and adored wife of Chet Balestra; mother of Scott (Colleen), Mark (Emily) and Joel (Deanna) Balestra; grandmother of Kalie Clunk and Nick, Austin, Kate, Leo, Riley, Charlie and Liam Balestra; great grandmother of Brayden Clunk. Born on March 14, 1945, in New Bedford, Massachusetts to the late Joseph and Leona Souza, Pat grew up in nearby Dartmouth with her parents and brother, Ronald Souza, among a large extended family with deep Portuguese roots.

Driven by a commitment to caring for others, she earned a nursing degree in 1966 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where she met Chet. After spending time in New York, Massachusetts, Texas and Pennsylvania, they moved their family to St. Louis in 1983, establishing new roots in the Midwest, where her children grew up and raised their families.

Following in her father’s footsteps, she pursued many interests along a path that led her from nursing to careers in real estate, retail, lobbying and estate sales.She was a connoisseurof New Bedford whaling culture and loved to spend time by the ocean, whether it be enjoying the togetherness of clam bakes with friends and family or collectingseashellson the beaches of SanibelIsland. Her love of the performing arts led her to participating in community theater in Acton, Massachusetts and cofounding the Del Webb, Ponta Vedra Performing Arts Club in Nocatee, FL, where she spent her later years.

Pat had a giant heart and a great sense of humor. She was accepting of all people and always made sacrifices to take care of those around her. She loved music, dancing, gardening and animals and cherished time spent with family. She will be missed dearly by those who were blessed to have known her.In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that memorial donations be made to Project Present or the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center.

A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.

Ortmann Stipanovich Funeral Home
www.osfuneralhomes.com