December 20, 1929 – November 4, 2022
Ballard Dunbar French Jr. died peacefully at 92 years old on November 4, 2022, in Redwood Shores following a family visit. Born in Dante, Russell County, Virginia, to Ballard Dunbar French Sr. and Maude E. Duncan, he grew up with older sister Anneva Covey (now deceased) in Bristol, Virginia. Ballard was predeceased 14 months earlier by his wife of 63 years, Ruth “Holly” Lease French. He is survived by two daughters, Linda Sodos and Amy French (both working in Palo Alto), four grandchildren, Michael and Brandon Sodos and Isabella and Zoe Cortez, and two nephews, Doug and Bill Covey. A celebration of his life will be held on January 13th at 4 pm at the Los Altos United Methodist Church.
After graduating from Antioch College in mechanical engineering, completing a few years of work at Honeywell Corporation, and serving in the US Army in Washington DC (NSA) during the Korean war, Ballard moved to Palo Alto, California. Initially, he worked at Ampex Corporation in Redwood City and moonlighted playing banjo in a band at the Red Garter Night Club in San Francisco. He soon met schoolteacher Holly at the Methodist Church in Downtown Palo Alto and they married on July 12, 1958. Ballard also worked at Precision Instruments, Philco-Ford, and with the engineering team that created the color copier working for a subsidiary of Xerox Engineering (Versatec), retiring as wide-format laser printers ended the company’s tech position. According to his colleagues, Ballard was a great mathematician, a creative, and a zany guy. An avid backpacker for decades, he hiked to the top of Mt. Whitney after retirement! He enjoyed cartooning, photography, and filmmaking. He created ingenious holiday cards featuring his family in creative settings long before photoshop was invented and after. He was a singer and musician, playing the trombone and several stringed instruments, and he even made his own stand- up bass. An amateur astronomer and armchair pilot who charted and took many trips on his flight simulator after retiring, Ballard often described one of his greatest moments – shaking astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s hand.
After raising his daughters in Palo Alto to adulthood, graduation, and marriage, Ballard co-founded the Star Geezers, playing his homemade, stand-up bass with good friends at churches and parties locally for 15 years. Ballard and Holly enjoyed bicycling, outings with friends, volunteering, and traveling through Europe and the US, including Alaska, and Mexico, with family. While they avoided catching Covid-19 by isolating themselves at their home in Palo Alto, they so missed seeing friends and family during their last years. Ballard was overjoyed to witness the James Webb telescope images while recovering from a broken hip in July. Ballard’s laughter and love for his family are wonderful memories. We miss him dearly but can hear Ballard and Holly’s spirits laughing as they travel together through more distant skies for closer glimpses of the planets and constellations.