Ray B Balhorn

Ray Benjamin Balhorn, Jr., passed away Monday, April 16, 2018, in

Vernal, Utah.  A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday,

April 21, 2018, at the Maeser Utah 7th Ward LDS Chapel.

Born January 17, 1953, in Rapid City, South Dakota to Betty and Ray

(Tex) Balhorn, Sr.  Ray was raised in Sturgis, South Dakota, and he

graduated from William J. Brown High School in 1971.

Life for Ray was meant to be an adventure! Some of his earliest

adventures were a backpacking trip through Europe (1972) and an LDS

mission in the Franco/Belgium area (1974-1976) where he spoke French,

German, and Spanish.

Ray married Lois (“Bo”) Behling in 1976, and they had Ray III and

Sommer. Ray received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Utah

(1977) and a Terminal Master’s Degree in Fine Arts in Film from UCLA

where he also received the Jim Morrison Award in Directing based on

artistic merit. Lois passed away suddenly in 1980, only six months after

the birth of their daughter, Sommer.  Ray continued on as a single

parent and was a Professor of Communications at Missouri Southern State

College in Joplin, Missouri. Ray moved back to Utah and married Shanna

Vernon November 30, 1987, who had adopted a son, Devin, from India. Ray

was a cinematographer and founded Panacom, Inc. leaving such film

legacies as “Tops of the Mountains”, “To Touch a Grieving Heart”, and 

“50 Years of Sturgis”.

Ray always left you with a memory to be cherished – one you would want

to share with anyone. He did not see limits in life which everyone who

knew him can attest to with memories like bailing hay in a Lincoln Town

Car, hauling a goat in the back of a van, and taping flashlights to the

back of a trailer in lieu of tail lights. Ray was born with a tender

heart and extended his home and his heart to many children, some that

even called him father.

Ray is survived by his wife, Shanna, his mother, Betty, his two sisters,

Cheryl and Celia (Ken), and his children Ray (Julie), Sommer, Devin,

Mitchell (Cristy), Quinton (Sarah Jo), Conner, Jesse, and Dalton. His

grandchildren Sloane, Sicily, Sofie, Mark, Dominic, Krispin, Skylar,

Jackson, and Leon will always remember his lame efforts to frighten

them! Ray was also a beloved uncle to his many nieces and nephews, who

will always remember him as ‘Dinkus’.

Ray is preceded in death by Lois (“Bo”) Behling, his father and his

nephew, Chad Turley.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, Ray’s children have requested that

donations be made directly to Shanna Balhorn, 1160 N. 2500 W., Vernal,

UT  84078.