SLS 19RS-575 ORIGINAL
2019 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 38
BY SENATOR GATTI
CONDOLENCES. Expresses condolences upon the death of Ralph D. Balentine.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To express the sincere condolences of the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the
3 death of Ralph D. Balentine.
4 WHEREAS, it is with a profound sense of sorrow and sadness that the citizens and
5 the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana have learned of the death of Ralph D. Balentine
6 of Bossier City, Louisiana at the age of eighty-four years old on Monday, April 8, 2019; and
7 WHEREAS, Ralph was born on August 8, 1934, in Sterlington, Louisiana, to Mamie
8 Flanagan Balentine and Samuel Louis Balentine; and
9 WHEREAS, Ralph Balentine moved to Tioga, Louisiana, as a small child and lived
10 there until he moved to Bossier City in the mid 1960s; and
11 WHEREAS, Mr. Balentine left high school prior to graduation to work in the West
12 Texas oil fields to earn money to assist his parents in the repairing of their family home; and
13 WHEREAS, upon returning to Tioga, he studied and learned the plumbing trade,
14 working as a journeyman plumber for many years for a local nursing home; and
15 WHEREAS, years later he was offered a position as Nursing Home Administrative
16 Manager of a nursing home located in Pineville, Louisiana; and
17 WHEREAS, he and his family later moved to Bossier City, Louisiana, where he was
18 instrumental in building and managing Midway Manor Nursing Home, Shreveport Manor
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SLS 19RS-575 ORIGINAL
1 Nursing Home, and Roseview Nursing Center; and
2 WHEREAS, in Bossier City, Ralph Balentine started Medical Transportation and
3 Balentine Ambulance Service; and
4 WHEREAS, he served two terms as president of the Louisiana Nursing Home
5 Association as well as established the Louisiana Ambulance Association and served as their
6 president for several years; and
7 WHEREAS, a pioneer and well known leader in healthcare in Northwest Louisiana,
8 Ralph Balentine's advocacy efforts locally, as well as statewide have shaped the industry as
9 we know it today; and
10 WHEREAS, Ralph Balentine was a devout Christian who loved his Lord and Savior,
11 loved his church, and his men's Sunday school class; and
12 WHEREAS, he was also a Gideon, assisting in the distribution of Bibles to all parts
13 of the world in various languages; and
14 WHEREAS, Ralph was a loving and devoted husband for thirty-eight years to his
15 wife, LaVeta Cloud Balentine, a dedicated father to his children and step-children, and a
16 cherished grandfather to his grandchildren, step-grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and
17 a caring brother to his sister and many relatives who knew that his family was of the utmost
18 importance in his life; and
19 WHEREAS, upon his death, the world lost a unique individual who left an indelible
20 mark upon the lives of all who knew him; and
21 WHEREAS, because of his numerous accomplishments in public and private life,
22 the death of Ralph D. Balentine has left a void in his community and in our state, and has
23 created a genuine sense of profound sorrow in his friends and family; and
24 WHEREAS, the success of the state of Louisiana, the strength of our communities,
25 and the overall vitality of American society depend, in great measure, upon men like Ralph
26 D. Balentine.
27 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
28 acknowledges with gratitude the outstanding service and many accomplishments of Ralph
29 D. Balentine and extends sincere condolences to his family on the occasion of his death.
30 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
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SLS 19RS-575 ORIGINAL
1 family of Ralph D. Balentine.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Tammy Crain Waldrop.
DIGEST
SR 38 Original 2019 Regular Session Gatti
Expresses condolences upon the death of Ralph D. Balentine.
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