Obituary of Edward Thomas Balzer

EDWARD THOMAS "CHIP" BALZER Cohoes- Edward Thomas "Chip" Balzer, of East Greenbush and formerly Ballston Lake, beloved husband of the late Therese Beth Carey Balzer, passed away peacefully at age 91 on December 9, 2019 surrounded by many of his children. Born in Queens, NY on December 7, 1928, he was one of eleven children of the late Fred and Jennie (Lederman) Balzer. Chip was a devoted family man who raised nine children and took great pride in their successes and families. He was an international sales manager in turbine parts for General Electric, with his work taking him to almost every country in the world during his 45 years of employment. He served in the National Guard, was a member of the Knights of Columbus in the Ushers Council #10869, and a former communicant of Holy Spirit Church in East Greenbush and Corpus Christi in Ballston Lake. His self-taught cooking skills allowed him to transform any three leftovers into sumptuous meals for nine hungry children and made him "top chef" during his volunteer work in many soup kitchens during his retirement. He will be remembered for his wry wit till the very end of his life, his discerning palate for crispy home fries and his trademark "snacks," his loving thumbprints in the thousands of school sandwiches he assembled, and entertainment of neighborhood children when he started barbecue charcoal with a heavy dousing of gasoline. Survivors include his loving children Edward "Chip" Balzer and his wife Anne Marie, William Balzer and his wife Margaret Lockhart, Marianne Harris and husband Gregory, Carey Balzer, former daughter-in-law Nancy Schuh Balzer, Bradley Balzer and wife Marcia, Tracey-Anne Brown, Meredith Thomas and husband William, Chad Balzer and wife Kristen, Brett Balzer and wife Theresa, as well as his sister Terry Hoffman. Chip is also survived by 26 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, along with several nieces and nephews. He was a committed and practicing Catholic who looked forward to his transition from this life to be reunited with his beloved wife "Traz," and their daughter Gen-Marie who passed away as an infant. The family would like to thank the teams at Eddy Hawthorne Ridge, Schuyler Ridge Residential Health Care and Eddy Village Green of Cohoes for their compassionate care and friendships. A Funeral mass will be celebrated on Saturday, December14, 2019 at 11:00am. at St. Ambrose Church 347 Old Loudon Rd, Latham, with Rev. Joseph O'Brien officiating. Calling hours will be held on Friday December 13, 2019 from 4:00-7:00pm at the Dufresne and Cavanaugh Funeral Home, 149 Old Loudon Rd. Latham. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to any charity of your choice that provides help to the less fortunate, particularly during the holiday season. For directions, information, to light a memory candle or order flowers for the family please visit www.dufresneandcavanaugh.com.