Kenneth Balk passed away on December 26, 2024. He was the son of the late Max and the late Esther Balk; beloved husband of Susan Margolis Winter Balk and the late Harriet Balk; dear father of Mindy Maloney (Richard), Jay Balk (Jill Alexander) and Steven Balk (Dierdre McManus); loving grandfather of Allison Maloney (Matt Parmenter), Sam Maloney (Stephanie Vincent), Emily Balk (Kyle Treleaven), Rebbeca Balk and Suzanne Balk; great grandfather of Landon, Calder, and Nolan Maloney; dear brother of the late Edwin Balk (the late Rose Balk) and of Myrna Balk (the late Ramon Greenberg).
Ken – “Kenny” to close friends and family — graduated from Washington University with a degree in Civil Engineering. He served in the Field Testing and Development Unit of the United States Coast Guard, which he dubbed the “Consumer Reports unit” of the Coast Guard.
Four years after receiving his engineering degree, he founded Kenneth Balk & Associates (KBA), a structural engineering firm. KBA grew into a diversified, multi-disciplinary firm offering architecture, engineering design, surveying and mapping, highway and bridge engineering, and construction management services. KBA was listed in Engineering News Record’s Top 500 U.S. design firms and was ranked among St. Louis’ largest A/E firms by the St. Louis Business Journal.
He was a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, a member of the National and the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers, and a member of the American Concrete Institute. He served on the Dean’s Advisory Board of the College of Arts & Science of Webster University and taught Project Management in its MBA program to engineers and scientists.
He was an active member of the St. Louis community, served on the Creve Coeur Arts Commission, supported Laumeier Sculpture Park, Craft Alliance, the Saint Louis Art Museum, and Washington University.
He enjoyed 34 years of marriage with Harriet, raising three children, traveling the world, and collecting art. That time was followed by another 20 years of loving marriage with Susan, who was also widowed. They traveled the world together and shared treasured time with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Ken helped Susan create, structure and lead the nonprofit organization HateBrakers. They traveled together to places like Vienna, and Shanghai to attend exhibits illustrating reactions to the Holocaust.
He enjoyed mentoring high school students and young professionals, emphasizing the importance of active listening, setting goals and creating a plan to reach them. Kenneth Balk was a problem-solver, a civil engineer in every fiber of his being.
Visitation Sunday, December 29th, 10:00 AM at BERGER MEMORIAL CHAPEL, 9430 Olive Blvd, followed by funeral service at 10:30 AM. Private family interment. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for Live Stream and other information.
