Honor Pages Index

 

vollmer bryan 001During his time on the boat, Bryan was Bryan Ballinger, adding his wife's name when he was married in 1996.

Bryan Lee Vollmer, of Jackson, Michigan passed away suddenly on May 7, 2014 at the age of 50.

He was born on June 1, 1963 to Roger and Janice Vollmer in Honouliuli, Hawaii.

Bryan married Melinda (Criner) Vollmer in Jackson, Michigan in 1996. He was employed by 4 Star Storage in Spring Arbor and worked previously at MIS. He was an avid sports fan and loved spending time with his kids and his friends and family at the American Legion Rose City Post # 324 where he ran the American Legion baseball program for 10+ years.

Bryan is survived by his wife, Melinda (Criner) Vollmer; sons, Robert and James Vollmer; his parents, Roger (Jeannie) Vollmer, Janice Elmore and step-father, Stuart Dane Elmore; siblings, Jackie Page, Michelle (Tom) Sayles, Stu Elmore and Stacy; and a host of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his grandmother, Margaret Smith.

A celebration of Bryan's life will be held on Thursday, May 15, 2014 at Pathways Community Church (5225 Clinton Road Jackson, MI) at 2:00 p.m. with visitation on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home and again on Thursday 1:00 p.m. until time of service with Pastor Brent Liechty officiating. Cremation has been chosen.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the family for final expenses.

 

Chas. J. Burden & Son Funeral Home

Image and article courtesy of Chas. J Burden & Son Funeral Home and dignitymemorial.com

 

Link to Bryan's User Profile

 

Crew Gallery Images:

Bryan and MM3 Arnie Ballew - Olongapo, Philippines - Westpac 82-83

Bryan and others (from center front, clockwise) MM2 Arnie Ballew, RM2 Matt 'Ozzie' Osburn, SKNS Bryan Ballinger, TM3 Royce Hurst, DS2 Ray Nelson, MM2 J.J. Gallli, ????, Terry Seigal, Olongapo, Philippines - Westpac 82-83

Dancing In Olongapo - Bryan Ballinger, Ray G. Nelson, J.J. Galli, Royce Hurst, and Arnie Ballew, l to r - Olongapo, P.I. - Westpac 82-83

Jeff 'JJ', 'Joseph' Galli
We knew him as Bryan Ballinger.
I knew him as loving brother, cohort, confidant, coconspirator and hilarious and intense friend.
Al Frankel and I both longed for and looked for Bryan for 31 years. We found him the same day on Facebook, last month and spent hours catching up on the phone that day. It was like old times. It was a taste of what we anticipated would culminate in a physical gathering.
It was just weeks later, that Bryan would take a family trip to Colorado and begin hemorrhaging from his lungs and die just 3 hours later.
He always said he wanted to be cremated and placed in the Old Man's Cave area in the state park, outside Logan Ohio. That's just what is happening. His remains were returned to the family this week and will be honorably distributed in this park area, in the very near future.
As fate would have it, I'm being temporarily sent to that area for work soon. Personally, I plan to go there and fire one up with a beer and reminisce.
Good bye, Bryan. Great ride!

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Our shipmate has passed on before us.

Whether by enemy action, the remorseless sea, or the ravages of time and age,
we must accept that God has called you to where we cannot yet follow.

We commend your body to the deep, and your soul to God Almighty.

May God grant you fair winds and following seas.

 

Godspeed, shipmate.

 

We will miss you...

 

 

 

"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated. God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice; but God's hand is in every translation, and his hand shall bind up all our scattered leaves again for that library where every book shall lie open to one another...

"No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.

"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

John Donne

Meditation XVII
Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions
Nunc lento sonitu dicunt, morieris.
Now this bell tolling softly for another, says to me, Thou must die.
1572 - 1631

 

 

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