John Balaska;91;of 518 Broad Ave.;Belle Vernon;died Sunday;June 16;1985;at 2:09 a.m. in Mon Valley Hospital;Carroll Twp. Mr.Balaska was born July 23;1893;in Austria-Hungary;a son of the late Andrew and Helen Karas Balaska. He retired in 1950 as a coal miner in the Somers Mine;Pricedale;and from 1950 until 1967;he owned and operated Balaska’s Bar in North Belle Vernon. As a life member of the North Belle Vernon Fire Department;Mr.Balaska had been very active in various fund raising activities for the department for many years. He had been a resident of Belle Vernon for more than 70 years. Mr.Balaska was a member of St.John’s Lutheran Church;Charleroi;and the United Slovak Lutheran Lodge. In addition to his parents;he was preceded in death by his wife;Mary Brazack Balaska;on March 6;1979;by a son;John Balaska;on June 18;1944;and by a brother;Andrew Balaska;on May 2;1973. Surviving are three sons;Albert M.Balaska of Lakeland;Fla.;Robert A.Balaska of Belle Vernon (with whom he made his home);and Richard (Kenny) Balaska of Niantic.;Conn.;one daughter;Mrs.Helen Zofko of Warren;Ohio;one brother;Michael Balaska of Belle Vernon;one sister in Europe;nine grandchildren;and six great-grandchildren. Friends will be received at the Shelby D.Ferguson Funeral Home;700 Broad Ave.;Belle Vernon;Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. and Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Devotional Services will be held Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the funeral home. Friends will gather Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the funeral home to go to St.John’s Lutheran Church;Charleroi;where services will be held at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday;with the Rev.Stephen C.Hurnyak;pastor;officiating. Burial will be in Belle Vernon Cemetery;Belle Vernon;Pa. The Shelby D.Ferguson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Private funeral services were held today;May 25;1985; for Anna Zeets Barron;225 Manown St.;Monessen;who died Thursday May;23;1985 at 5:30 a.m. in the Jefferson Medical Center;Pleasant Hills. Mrs.Barron was born in Monessen and was a lifelong resident of the Mon Valley. She was a member o St.Leonard’s Roman Catholic Church of Monessen. She was preceded in death by her husband;John Barron;who died in May 1977;and two daughters;Ann Badzik;who died in May 1978;and Patti Lynn Barron;who died in February 1985. Survivors include two daughters;Mrs.Edward (Kathryn) Katchursky of Belle Vernon and Betty Barron at home;five sons;John and Edward of Belle Vernon R.D.4;Robert of Pittsburgh;Jerry of Belle Vernon;and Ronald of Monessen;eight grandchildren;and one great-grandson. A blessing service was held today;May 25;1985;at 9 a.m.at the Robert A.Billick Funeral Home Inc.;Monessen;with Mass of Christian Burial following at 9:30 a.m. at St.Leonard Roman Catholic Church;Monessen. Burial was held at the mausoleum of the Belle Vernon Cemetery.

Milan (Mike) Bezuska of 1500 Rostraver St.;Monessen;died at 9 a.m.Tuesday;May 7;1985;at his home following an illness of six months. He was 74. Mr.Bezuska was born in Monessen;Oct.12;1910;and had been a city resident all his life. He retired from the open hearth department of the Monessen plant of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. Mr.Bezuska was a member of St.Paul Lutheran Church;Monessen and a life member of the Monessen Volunteer Fire Department;Hilltop No.2. He was preceded in death by a daughter;Judith Ann Vensel;two sisters;Margaret Dzyak and Mary Trunzer and a brother;Joseph Bezuska. Surviving are his wife;Mollie Yerga Bezuska;a daughter;Frances Williams of Clarion County;two grandchildren;Michelle Vensel of Clarion County and Kirsten Vensel at home;a sister;Mrs.Anna Benedetti of North Charleroi and brother John Bezuska of Ambridge. Funeral services will be private. The Billick Funeral Home;Monessen;in charge of arrangements.

Howard F.Bowers of the Morgan Personal Care Home;Fayette City;died Tuesday;April 16;1985;at 2:36 p.m. in Mon Valley Hospital Inc. He was 82. Born in Gillespie;July 31;1902;he was a son of the late Frank and Maude Mountsier Bowers. Mr.Bowers was a member of the First Christian Church of Monessen. He resided in Fayette City for the past 18 months and previously resided in the Belle Vernon area for 80 years. He retired in 1967 from Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp’s Allenport plant;where he had worked in the tube department. Mr.Bowers was preceded in death by his wife;Lillian Montgomery Bowers in 1981 and two brothers;John and Fred Bowers. Surviving are two sons;Rev.Vernon H.Bowers of Mount Lebanon and Melvin L.Bowers of New hope;Minn.;two brothers;Addison Bowers of Belle Vernon and Edward Bowers of Antioch;Calif.;two sisters;Mrs.Bertha Taylor of Belle Vernon and Mrs.Amelia Lutz of Weirton;W.Va.;seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Friends will be received on Thursday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Shelby D.Ferguson Funeral Home;700 Broad Ave.;Belle Vernon;where funeral services will be held on Friday at 11 a.m. with Rev.Timothy Bowers;pastor of the Baptist Church of Minneapolis;Minn.and Mr.Bowers’grandson;officiating. Interment will follow in Belle Vernon Cemetery. Shelby D.Ferguson;funeral director;is in charge of arrangements.

Mary Teplican Beresik;78;of 840 Graham St.;Belle Vernon;died Monday;March 18;1985;at 10:45 p.m. in Mon Valley Hospital;Carroll Twp. Friends will be received Wednesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Leonard J.Parzynski Funeral Home;626 Broad Ave.;Belle Vernon;where prayer services will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11:30 a.m.at St.Sebastian Roman Catholic Church;Belle Vernon. Interment will follow in Belle Vernon Cemetery. The Leonard J.Parzynski Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

James Joe Boyd of Republic died Thursday;March 7;1985;in the Uniontown Hospital. He was 76. Mr.Boyd was born in Alabama on Feb.28;1909;a son of the late Will and Addie Boyd. He was a member of Rebecca Star Lodge No 45 F.and A.M. He was a retired coal miner. In addition to his parents;he was preceded in death by three brothers;and three sisters. Survivors include his wife;;Gladys Boyd;three sisters;Lula B.Jones of New York;Willie Mae Riddles of Alabama;and Leona Giddens of Chicago.Ill.and several nieces and nephews. Friends will be received at the Muriel F.Lantz Funeral Home;297 East Main St.;Uniontown;on Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. Services will be held Monday at 1 p.m. at the funeral home with the Rev.Solomon Prescott officiating. Burial will be in Belle Vernon Cemetery. The Muriel F.Lantz Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

Gillamean P. (Minnie) Behrendt of 211 Meadow Ave.;Charleroi;died Wednesday;Feb.27;1985;at 1:25 p.m. in Mon Valley Hospital. She was 78. Mrs.Behrendt was born in Charleroi on Sept.27;1906;a daughter of the late Edward and Gertrude Zwakoven Pauwels. She was a member of the Charleroi Goodwill Club. In addition to her parents;she was preceded in death by her husband;Walter Behrendt in 1966;and a grandson;Jeffrey Norkus in 1981. Survivors include a son;Jack of Rancho Palos Verdes;Calif.;a daughter;Joann Norkus of Monessen;three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Friends will be received at the Schrock-Hogan Funeral Home;226 Fallowfield Ave.;Charleroi;on Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. and Friday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Services will be held at the funeral home on Saturday at 11 a.m. with Pastor James M.Robbins officiating. Burial will be in Belle Vernon Cemetery. The Schrock-Hogan Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

Margaret M.Bauer of Dawson died Tuesday;Feb.5;1985;at the home of her daughter;Mrs.Ben Husband of Dawson. She was 91. Born in Jefferson Township;July 3;1893;she was a daughter of the late Thomas and Hannah Campbell Morgan. In addition to her parents;she ws preceded in death by her husband Robert Bauer in 1947. Mrs.Bauer was a member of the Philip G.Cochran Memorial United Methodist Church of Dawson. Surviving are three daughters;Mrs.Robert (Doris) Frost of Hershey;Mrs.William (Margaret) McCoy of Louisville;Ky.;and Mrs.Ben (Betty) Husband of Dawson;three sons;Ernest Bauer of Perryopolis;Robert Bauer of Dawson and William Bauer of Hagerstown;Md.;six grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Friends are beig received on Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m.;Thursday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.;and Friday until 11 a.m.;the time of funeral services at the Ralph E.Galley Funeral Home;Dawson;with the Rev.Robert Stiple officiating. Interment will follow in Belle Vernon Cemetery. The Ralph E.Galley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Services were held at 11 a.m. today for Patti Lynn Barron of 225 Manown St.;Monessen;who died Friday;Feb.1;1985;at 1:25 p.m. in St.Francis Medical Center;Pittsburgh. She was 37. Miss Barron was born June 9;1947;in Monessen;a daughter of the late John Barron;who died in May of 1977;and Ann Zeets Barron;who survives and resides in Monessen. Miss Barron had made her home with her mother. She was a member of St.Leonard Roman Catholic Church;Monessen. Besides her father;Miss Barron was preceded in death by a sister;Ann Bradzik;in May;1974. In addition to her mother;Miss Barron is survived by two sisters;Mrs.Edward (Kathryn) Kachursky of Belle Vernon and Betty Barron at home;five brothers;John and Edward Barron;both of Belle Vernon R.D.4;Robert Barron of Pittsburgh;Gerry Barron of Belle Vernon;and Ronald Barron of Monessen;a number of nieces and nephews;and one great-nephew. The Rev.Patrick J.O’Connor;pastor;St.Leonard Roman Catholic Church;Monessen;officiated at the services in the Robert J.Billick Funeral Home;Inc.;Monessen. Burial was in the Mausoleum of Belle Vernon Cemetery;Belle Vernon;Pa. The family suggests contributions in Miss Barron’s memory may be made to the Monessen Public Library.