Sarah Balbach, 90, died peacefully in her sleep on March 15, 2014. She was a devoted wife, loving mother, loyal Illini fan, a good friend, and a gracious hostess. She was preceded in death by her husband, Stanley, and a son, Jacob. She is survived by a son, Byron Balbach (Jeanne) of Urbana; daughters, Nancy Fehr (Tom) of St. George, Utah, Barbara Balbach-Haines (Jack) and Edith Balbach, both of Palm Springs, Calif.; six grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren, eight step-great-grandchildren and one step-great-great-grandchild.

Sarah was born on October 31, 1923 in Scott, Arkansas, the second daughter of Charles and Grace Witherspoon. She had wonderful memories of her early life on the farm, including the joy of watching her father waltz her mother down the hall to lunch every day. In 1929, sadly, Charles Witherspoon died of a heart attack and Grace moved her two daughters, Anne and Sarah, to Jonesboro, Arkansas, where her family owned and ran the Jonesboro Evening Sun. Grace became the paper's society editor and wrote its Social Whirligig column. In 1934, Anne died, leaving Grace and Sarah to form their own small close family, a strong bond that lasted until Grace's death in 1985. Her childhood friends were the "Penguin Pals." In their honor, Sarah collected penguin statues all her life.

Sarah attended Randolph Macon Women's College, graduating in 1944. Sarah's college friends were known as the "Good Group." The 18 members of the Good Group, of whom 10 are still alive, kept in touch through a round robin letter, in which each took out her old letter, added a new one, and forwarded the packet to the next woman on the list. The round robin has continued to the present and the Group has had regular reunions in Nags Head, North Carolina.

In 1943, while home from college, Sarah met Stanley Balbach, a captain in the Army Air Corps who was stationed in nearby Paragould, Arkansas. Grace had invited Stanley, who lived near one of Grace's relatives in Illinois, to dinner. Stanley always said that as soon as he saw Sarah, he knew he was going to marry her. She had a date that night with another airman. But Stanley outranked him, wouldn't give them permission to leave, and had a later curfew than the other airman. Eleven months later, Stan and Sarah married, shortly before her graduation from college.

Byron was born in Texas in 1945, while his parents were still in the military. Nancy followed in 1946, after her parents had moved to Hoopeston, Illinois, where Stan began his law practice. Sarah and Stan moved the family to Urbana, IL, in 1948. Barbara, Edith and Jacob were all born in Urbana.

In addition to raising five children, Sarah volunteered weekly with the Carle Auxiliary, a group known at that time as the "pink ladies," pushing the sundries cart to patient rooms. She was active in the Pi Beta Phi alumna and with her church circle. She was a lifelong member of the Urbana Methodist Church. She and Stan were active members of the Democratic Party and were once invited to the White House for a state dinner, an event Sarah loved. She was a member of Friends of the Library at the University of Illinois and volunteered in the Rare Book Room for a number of years.

Her love of the University and involvement in it extended beyond the library. She and Stan were members of the Foundation, she audited classes, she often took walks in the winter at the Assembly Hall, and she regularly enrolled her children in enrichment programs offered by the university. Balbach household life revolved around football weekends and Quarterback Club, and she and Stan rarely missed a basketball game. Because their basketball seats were in the second row behind the scorer's table, family and friends saw them regularly when games were televised.

She and Stan were married for nearly 68 years, living most of those years on Carle Park in Urbana. The memorial services will be private and held in Chenoa, IL, where Stan and Sarah's commingled ashes will be buried. A memorial fund in the Balbach's name has been established with the Urbana Parks Foundation to support the special needs of Carle Park. Donations in their memory should be made payable to the Urbana Parks Foundation and sent to Ellen KIrsanoff, 303 W. University Ave., Urbana IL, 61801.