Memorials › James Craig "Jim" Baletka
James Craig "Jim" Baletka
30 Aug 1955 – 28 Jan 2017
| Birth | 30 Aug 1955 |
| Death | 28 Jan 2017 |
| Cemetery | Memorial Cemetery of College Station College Station , Brazos County , Texas , USA |
| Added by | James Siptak on 01 Feb 2017 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/175875812 |
Gravesite details
Aggie Field of Honor
Bio
James "Jim" Craig Baletka, 61, passed away on January 28, 2017. Visitation will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, January 31, 2017, at the Bryan/College Station Brethren Church in College Station. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m., Wednesday, February 1, 2017, at the church. Burial will be in Memorial Cemetery of College Station, Aggie Field of Honor. Jim was born in Temple, Texas, to William John Baletka, Jr. and Joyce Siptak Baletka, where his father was the minister of the Brethren Church. As a youngster, he enjoyed spending time playing sports with the neighbor kids and became a nature lover while visiting his grandparents’ farms in Rosebud and Caldwell. Dear to Jim’s heart was his public profession of faith to follow Jesus Christ, made while attending the Hus Encampment. Jim attended Lanier High School in Austin where he was active in the marching and symphony bands. He also delivered morning papers in his neighborhood. This was an entire family enterprise that included his parents folding and dropping off papers at designated locations along the route and his brother splitting the very large route. After the papers were delivered, he had to hurry to participate in before-school marching band practice. Jim received his Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Economics from Texas A&M in 1977 and began his professional career as a bank loan officer and real estate appraiser in Victoria. Later, he moved to Austin and purchased a bar-b-que restaurant. His love of A&M led him back to College Station as a member of the University Housing staff followed by employment at On-Line Real Estate. Jim met Dawn Marie Zak Hayes through mutual friends on a blind date. Although Jim had remained a bachelor well into his forties, on May 1, 1999, he married Dawn Marie at the Hus Encampment and became both a husband and a dad. His children, Megan, Brynn, and Michael, meant the world to him. He taught them to fish, and to hunt, and play dominoes, but more importantly, he taught them to love, to be thankful, and to have a giving heart. The family lived in College Station where Jim was always close to his beloved Texas A&M Aggies where he could cheer on their victories and lament each defeat. No matter the sport, the Baletka family schedule was arranged so that Jim was in the stands, doing his part as a member of the 12th Man. Jim was a man of great faith and greater love. He enjoyed the simple things in life: being with friends and family, fishing, hunting, and witnessing God’s handiwork in a quiet sunrise or sunset. Jim was passionate about many things in life but especially about helping others in any way he could and the power of prayer in music. Jim was proud of his heritage and that was evident in his life-long love of with good BBQ, sausage, and kolaches. He was an expert on good food, and his stamp of approval was as valid as any great food critic. Jim held many roles in life, son, brother, husband, father, friend, but there are two that meant more than any others. The first is that he was a Christian man who placed God and family above all else. The second is best said from the slogan on his favorite non-Aggie T-Shirt, "There Aren’t Many Things I Love More Than FISHING, But One of Them is Being PAPA". Being PaPa to John Wayne, Nolyn and Peyton brought joy and happiness to Jim beyond any measure. The sound of their voices or a glimpse of their faces overwhelmed Jim with love each and every time. Some men talk about faith and Jim lived his. Some profess to love and Jim inspired it. Some claim honor and Jim gave it to all he met. He was preceded in death by his father, John; a brother, Bill; and grandparents. Survivors include his wife, Dawn Marie; daughters, Megan Elizabeth Bright, and Brynn Victoria Biggs and husband, Chris; son, P. Michael Hayes; grandson, John Wayne Bright; granddaughters, Nolyn Elizabeth and Peyton Faith Biggs; his mother, Joyce; brother, Mark Baletka and his wife, Susan; and numerous relatives and close friends. K5
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