Obituary of Carol Balfany

BALFANY CAROL

Carol Balfany, 84, of Beresford, passed away Sunday, February 12, 2023, at the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls.  Carol’s memorial service will be 1:30 PM Friday, February 17^th at the Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home and Crematory in Yankton with Rev. Jeff Otterman officiating. Visitation with her family will be held an hour prior to her service.  Burial of her cremated remains will follow at the Yankton Cemetery.  Online condolences may be sent at: www.opsahl-kostelfuneralhome.com.  Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home and Crematory of Yankton oversees arrangements.  Live streaming of Carol’s service can be found at: https://my.gather.app/remember/carol-balfany.

Carol’s memorial service will be at 1:30 PM Friday, February 17, at the Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home in Yankton with Reverend Jeff Otterman officiating.  Visitation with her family will be held an hour prior to her service. Burial of her cremated remains will follow the service at the Yankton Cemetery.

Honorary pallbearers include her nieces and nephews:  Kelly Mercer, Greg Balfany, Bob Balfany, Mike Balfany, David Balfany, and Anne Nolan.

Carol was born on March 8, 1938 in Yankton, SD to Pearl and Clayton Balfany.  She lived with her family until the age of 21.  She then moved to Redfield where she lived for many years.  Her mother, Pearl, was a frequent visitor, as she was wherever Carol lived. Carol loved having her come because Pearl would rent a motel room and together, they would frost and eat a cake Mom would bring from home.  They enjoyed their times together.  With the closing of Redfield School, Carol was greeted warmly by the caregivers at LifeQuest in Mitchell. 

During her years at LifeQuest, she worked in the arts and crafts area creating many holiday items which she shared with her family.  LifeQuest staff encouraged Carol to participate in community activities and social gatherings at the facility.  Her favorite activity was to go shopping!  She especially loved shopping for jewelry; no outfit for Carol was complete without her jewels.

As her health issues advanced, it became necessary for her to leave LifeQuest and move to Bethesda of Beresford Nursing Home where once again she was welcomed by loving, supportive caregivers. She remained at Bethesda until her passing.

Carol was born with severe mental disabilities, but those disabilities did not characterize her life.  She was surrounded by love from the day she came into this world.  When Pearl became a young widow, her children became the focus of her life.  Alone, she assumed the challenging and rewarding task of caring for Carol and she did a magnificent job.  Carol always knew that Mom would be there to provide for her needs, whatever they might be. 

When Carol moved to LifeQuest, she had caregivers who loved her like family and would often bring her home to spend precious time with her mother.  They also made certain that Carol was able to attend her mother’s funeral in Yankton.

Bethesda caregivers were also deeply devoted to Carol. When the family visited Carol, we would witness how staff could always get a laugh or a smile from Carol.  The interaction between Carol and the staff was a joy to see.

Though Carol was basically nonverbal, her disabilities never prevented her from communicating with us.  She was a wonderful woman with a contagious sense of humor, a strong will, and a love of puppies, babies, and music, especially the songs from the movie, Grease.  Her family will miss her, and we will feel forever blessed by her presence in our lives.

Survivors include her brothers: Don, Norfolk, NE; Jim (Linda), Yankton, SD; her nieces and nephews and their families.  Carol was preceded in death by her parents, Pearl and Clayton Balfany; infant brother, Robert Clayton; daughter-in-law, Kae Balfany; great nephew, Justin Balfany.