The Life of John Lucien Baltes Jr.
Memorial Services will be held Saturday, September 9, 2006 at a 10:00 AM Mass in La Chapelle de Martin & Castille for Mr. John Lucien Baltes, Jr., who died Tuesday, September 5, 2006 in his home in Youngsville, Louisiana.
He was 59.Entombment will be in Lafayette Memorial Park Cemetery Mausoleum.Reverend Lloyd Benoit, Associate Pastor of The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist will conduct the Funeral Services. Joni Hamilton, organist, will sing for the services, "Amazing Grace", "Come Holy Ghost" and "Ave Maria".
He is survived by his wife, Debra, his two children, John and Elizabeth, and his three sisters, Gerry, Liz, and Lucy. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.A native of Virginia, Mr. Baltes graduated from Christopher Newport University in Newport News before qualifying as a Certified Public Accountant. After relocating to Louisiana, he was employed by the Central Lousiana Electric Company (CLECO) for 17 years, eventually serving as its Controller. Though only lately a resident of Youngsville, Mr. Baltes thought of it as his home and chose to retire there to be near the people he loved, both friends and family.An active philanthropist, he gave unfailingly of his energy to those in need.
Mr. Baltes served as the Treasurer of the United Way of Central Louisiana and was Chairman of its Allocations Committee. In these roles, he was instrumental in securing funding for the Avoyelles Society for the Developmentally Disabled. He was a vocal advocate for the Rapides Parish Battered Women?s Shelter and worked closely with the Working People's Free Clinic to ensure care for the under-served.
Mr. Baltes also sat on the board of the Maryhill Renewal Center for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria. After retirement, he served his neighbors and friends as the Secretary-Treasurer of his homeowners' association.An avid gardener and lover of birds, Mr. Baltes?s love of nature was infectious. He never tired of reading, star gazing, or conversing on his patio, adjacent as it was to his beloved flowers. Relentlessly positive, Mr. Baltes had a unique ability to win people's affection and inspire confidence, and the example of his courage and stoic indifference to suffering was inspiring to all who witnessed his struggle with cancer.
A Rosary will be prayed Friday at 6:00 PM in the Martin & Castille Funeral Home in Lafayette.The family requests that visiting hours will be observed Friday from 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM and Saturday from 9:00 AM until time of services.His family asks that donations be made in his honor to the United Way of Acadiana Inc., P.O. Box 52033, Lafayette, Louisiana 70505.
View the obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.comMartin & Castille Funeral Home, Inc. of Lafayette has been chosen to help with the arrangements. 337-234-2311
