Obituary for Melanie Diane Ballard (Ward)
Melanie Diane Ward Ballard, age 59, passed away on September 1, 2023. She was born on February 1, 1964, in Buncombe County to Viginia Turbyfill Ward and the late Raymond Leroy Ward.
Family was very important to Melanie and was known to her kids and grandkids as “Grammy”. She served 42 passionate years in children’s ministry first at Oak Ridge Baptist Church and then at Brookstone Church. Melanie was very involved with the Operation Christmas Child program, the North Buncombe Black Hawk and Western Carolina Pride of the Mountains Marching Bands. She enjoyed crocheting and had crocheted blankets for many of her family members. She was a ten year employee with Mission Hospital, as team lead for rural health billing.
In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by her father-in-law, Jim Ballard, and aunt, Violet and her husband Jim Ledford.
Left to cherish her precious memory in addition to her mother, are her husband of 40 yrs., Bruce Ballard; daughter, Demetria Henderson and husband John; son, Heath Ballard and girlfriend, Sasha Adair; mother-in-law, Marie Ballard; a brother, Steve Ward and wife Debra; 3 grandchildren, Carolina Grace, John Timothy, and Willadeene Elaine Henderson; aunts, Rachel Turbyfill, Ruth Gross and husband Chuck, and Willie Cowan and husband Gene; as well as, nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews; and brothers and sisters in law.
A memorial service will be held at 3:00 pm on Sunday September 3, 2023 at Bookstone Church. Reverend Jim Dykes will officiate. The service will be live streamed online at brookstonechurch.org under the “Watch Live” tab.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Brookstone Church Children’s Ministry, 90 Griffee Road, Weaverville, NC 28787.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blueridgefuneralservice.org.
Family was very important to Melanie and was known to her kids and grandkids as “Grammy”. She served 42 passionate years in children’s ministry first at Oak Ridge Baptist Church and then at Brookstone Church. Melanie was very involved with the Operation Christmas Child program, the North Buncombe Black Hawk and Western Carolina Pride of the Mountains Marching Bands. She enjoyed crocheting and had crocheted blankets for many of her family members. She was a ten year employee with Mission Hospital, as team lead for rural health billing.
In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by her father-in-law, Jim Ballard, and aunt, Violet and her husband Jim Ledford.
Left to cherish her precious memory in addition to her mother, are her husband of 40 yrs., Bruce Ballard; daughter, Demetria Henderson and husband John; son, Heath Ballard and girlfriend, Sasha Adair; mother-in-law, Marie Ballard; a brother, Steve Ward and wife Debra; 3 grandchildren, Carolina Grace, John Timothy, and Willadeene Elaine Henderson; aunts, Rachel Turbyfill, Ruth Gross and husband Chuck, and Willie Cowan and husband Gene; as well as, nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews; and brothers and sisters in law.
A memorial service will be held at 3:00 pm on Sunday September 3, 2023 at Bookstone Church. Reverend Jim Dykes will officiate. The service will be live streamed online at brookstonechurch.org under the “Watch Live” tab.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Brookstone Church Children’s Ministry, 90 Griffee Road, Weaverville, NC 28787.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blueridgefuneralservice.org.