Lawrence Balsley

Lawrence William Balsley age 80 of Plainfield, IA, died Friday evening, December 11, 2020, at MercyOne Medical Center in Des Moines. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, December 19, 2020, at First Baptist Church in Plainfield with Rev. Dennis Bachman officiating. For those unable to attend you are invited to please join the family on Facebook Live at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, December 19, 2020, on the Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home Facebook page. For those attending in person, it is mandatory to practice social distancing and wear face masks to both the funeral and visitation. Interment will be held in Willow Lawn Cemetery, Plainfield with Jon Fisher, Chad Hansen, Jason Vetter, Logan Hansen, Cooper Fisher, and Jason Fisher Serving as pallbearers. The honorary pallbearer is Landry Vetter. Friends may greet the family from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Friday, December 18, 2020, at Hugeback Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory - Olson Chapel in Nashua. Visitation will continue from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the church. Face coverings are mandatory and visitation will be a rolling visitation with 15 people at a time in attendance. Larry was born July 9, 1940, to Arthur and Elisabeth (Gabelmann) Balsley on a farm five miles north of Waverly. He was the third child of six. When Larry was 13 the family moved to their farm north of Plainfield. He attended country school until the last part of 8th grade when he started attending Plainfield Community School. Larry graduated in 1958 and started farming with his father. He also worked for Shield Bantom from March of 1959 to August of 1960 and then worked construction and drove gravel truck for a time. Larry joined the National Guard in 1962, serving for six years. He drove a school bus for 26 years and sold seed for many years. However, his first love was always farming which he continued to do his entire life. Larry was very active in the First Baptist Church. He attended there his whole life and raised his family there, seeing his daughters and many of his grandkids baptized there. He also served on the Board of Adjustment for Bremer County. On June 20, 1970, Larry married Betty Lou Beckley. To this union, three daughters were born. Larry also had nine grandchildren who were his pride and joy. He loved taking trips with his family and spending as much time as possible with them attending their activities and being one of their biggest supporters. Larry lived his life by the three pillars of Faith, Family, and Farming. Each one was an important part of Larry that made him into the special man he was. He is survived by his wife, Betty; three children, Amy (Jon) Fisher, Andrea (Chad) Hansen, and Alisha (Jason) Vetter; nine grandchildren, Coral, Logan, Sierra, Sydney, Liberty, Cooper, Hadley, Carsyn, and Landry, siblings Glenn, Shirley, Eleanore, Juanita, and Clayton, and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. Larry was preceded in death by his mother, Elisabeth, and his father, Arthur.