John G. Ball Jr. Obituary (1934

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time, plays many parts. - William Shakespeare, As You Like It John "Chaunce" Ball Jr., 90, of Caledonia, passed away peacefully in his sleep Friday morning, November 8, 2024, after a brief illness. John was born January 27, 1934, in Rochester, New York, the son of John G. and Florence (Boorman) Ball, and the brother of Barbara Ball. John was raised in Caledonia and he lived there all but for the last year of his life. While his parents were away at the 1939 World's Fair, he contracted polio at the age of five, but was lucky and fully recovered. As a child, he enjoyed sledding at Washburn Park (before the tennis courts were installed) and one winter broke his leg in an accident. The next winter his mother said, "Don't break your leg!" as he headed out to sled. He came back with a broken arm. He attended Caledonia High School where he played baseball, basketball, and football. He had a deep love of all sports, particularly baseball, and that lasted throughout his life. After graduating high school in 1952, he attended Colgate University, but had to withdraw during his first year due to a case of scarlet fever. Two years later, John and five other Caledonia friends volunteered for the draft and joined the army on the same day, thus ensuring they would go to basic training together. John learned Morse code and served as the Chief Radio Operator of his army unit in Germany for two years. After returning stateside, John attended the University of Rochester for two years then went to work for his father at John Ball & Co., a local heating oil and grain business. After he sold the business in 1978, he earned a data processing degree at Monroe Community College, then ran computer systems for two local lumber yards until his retirement. John married Judith Stoddard, of Mumford, the day after Christmas in 1961, thus beginning their sixty-two year marriage. They enjoyed each other's company and were devoted to each other, with John helping Judy with the management of her Type 1 Diabetes throughout the rest of her life. John and Judy loved to play daily card games like Klaberjass and Oh Hell, go to the movies, play board games, and cheer on their grandchildren at sporting events and school events. They also supported their Caledonia community by helping to organize as well as attending many community events. For the 100th anniversary of the Soldiers' Monument in Caledonia, John memorized and reenacted NY governor Teddy Roosevelt's dedication speech from 1900. John and Judy shared a love of amateur athletic events, attended the 1976 and 1984 Summer Olympics, and eagerly looked forward to watching the Summer and Winter Olympics on television. John loved sitting on his porch, chatting with his Crescent Parkway neighbors and helping organize the annual street picnic. He loved Mr. Goodbars, Beef on Weck, Genny Beer and Labatt Blue, his morning English Breakfast tea (steeped for exactly four minutes), Jeopardy, the Sunday comics, cinema, literature, history, jazz, and timing himself as he solved the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle. In his later years, John enjoyed surfing the web on his laptop, discovering new memes, YouTube videos, and despite many warnings from his sons, keeping the Geek Squad in business by clicking on every pop-up ad, opening every scam email, and installing countless versions of spyware and viruses. A volunteer throughout his life, John could always be counted on to help others. He was a devoted parishioner at St. Columba Church and was a lector at Sunday mass for decades. He was a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus and the American Legion - Matthew Cleary Post. He read the newspaper to blind listeners on Reach Out Radio in Rochester. He prided himself on being the best youth league baseball umpire in Caledonia in the 1970's. In 1976, John was a founding member and later president of the Lake Keller Bocce League. John started the first fantasy baseball league in Caledonia in 1984 and every Wednesday during the MLB season, he would buy the USA Today in the morning and retire to his basement desk to compile the stats by hand for the league. The stats would be available later that day for league members to pick up at the Iroquois Hotel. In the mid-1970's, John began a long career of acting in community theater productions in Caledonia and Rochester. For being such a good man, he often played the role of the bad guy - Bill Sikes in Oliver, Jud Fry in Oklahoma, and Mike's Dad in Matt's college film project, Riders on the Storm. He delighted in the fact that most of the characters he played died, with many of them dying a dramatic death on stage. He came out of retirement at the age of 84 to act in a murder mystery that benefitted the Big Springs Museum. His Inspector Bungler character survived, as his unintentional live mic in the men's room in act three proved to some in the audience. He was a storyteller throughout his long life. He could hold court at Caledonia's local watering holes for hours. He was a voracious reader and largely a self-taught man. He read everything Dickens and Shakespeare wrote, and he loved to study the many histories of World War II, the landmark event of his early childhood. John was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, and his beloved wife, Judy. He is survived by his children, John Ball (Evelyn), and Matthew Ball (Nell). John loved his five grandchildren immensely: Danny, Michael, Maggie, Justin and Jimmy; he was their biggest fan. He was often quite vocal when officials were not uniform in enforcing the rules of whatever athletic contest his grandchildren were competing in. The family would like to thank home health aides Wendy, Penny and Debbie, who cared for John during his last few years in Caledonia. Thanks also to the staff at St. John's Hawthorne, the staff at Aaron Manor, all of John's extended family members, his many longtime friends and his wonderful Crescent Parkway neighbors. We invite you to please click on the Memory Wall tab above and share a memory or story. Friends may call 4-7 p.m. Friday, November 22, 2024 at the Alhart Funeral Home, 3068 Main St, Caledonia. His Funeral Mass will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, November 23, 2024 at St. Columba Church, 198 North Street, Caledonia. Burial after the service at the Mumford Rural Cemetery, 1324 Flint Hill Road, Mumford. Celebration of Life after the funeral service at the American Legion, 3155 Church St, Caledonia. If you've read this far, you are invited! In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Big Springs Museum, 3095 Main St., Caledonia, NY 14423.