Ballinger, Anne Katherine (née Rast)

Age 73 of Apple Valley, passed away Dec. 28th, 2020 after a year of difficult hospitalization due to a car accident in 2019. She is preceded in death by her parents, Reinhardt “Ray” Rast and Ruth Rast (née Hugins). Anne is survived by her husband, Craig; daughter, Natalie; and brother, William (Bill) Rast.

Anne was born Dec. 19th, 1947, and was baptized, confirmed, and married at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Springfield, IL. She attended Western Illinois University and majored in Elementary Education. After her college sweetheart returned from his service in Vietnam, Anne married Craig Michael Ballinger on February 20th, 1971. Their 49 years of marriage took them to four states through Craig’s career with Continental Airlines, and Anne’s career as a homemaker, which her family referred to as Domestic Engineer.

Anne loved astronomy, rock-hunting (especially the sparkly ones!) and studying wildlife. She lived a life of strong faith, and was an influential example of gentleness, goodness and faithfulness to all those around her. Her sweet smile consistently lit up rooms and hearts, even through major surgery in midlife, a successful fight with breast cancer ten years later, and her final year of paralysis and challenging hospitalization during the pandemic. We are proud of her valiant fight, and we give thanks to God our Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord, for the life and faith of our beloved wife, mother, and sister Anne.

Private Family Funeral will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church of Rich Valley, 14385 Blaine Ave., Rosemount, MN. Interment at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, IL.

In-Person Attendance Info: The sanctuary can hold up to 65 distanced people/household groups. We do not have local family, so we do not expect to reach capacity. If you’d like to attend in person, we would greatly appreciate your presence. Please just let us know if you’re considering in-person attendance via this Guest Book, or by commenting on Facebook/Caring Bridge posts which announce Anne’s funeral information. All three will be regularly checked.

Covid Precautions in Place:
Attendees will be seated 6 feet apart from each other, and masks will be required until you reach your seat. At that point they are optional. Windows will be cracked and heat will be up to provide extra ventilation. There will be hand sanitizer available in the narthex. There will not be a luncheon.

Pictures and Memoriams:
If you have pictures of Anne, please send them to: cldsteel2@yahoo.com
Memorial donations can be sent to:
*North American Bear Center in Ely, MN
*Great Dane Service Dog Project in Ipswitch, MA
*Katmai Conservancy (Attn. Brown Bear Camera), Katmai National Park, Alaska
*Explore.org General Fund