Oct. 1, 1946 - Feb. 6, 2009

Robert VanHoy Ballou died Friday, Feb. 6, at his home in Oakham, England. He was 62.

He is survived by his wife, Pauline, 62; a daughter, Nicola "Nikki" Harrison, 38, of Crowborough, England; a son, Simon, 29, of London; three grandchildren, Freya, Jacob and Callum Harrison; and a brother, Brian Ballou, 55, of Medford.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, VanHoy and Maybelle Ballou of Corvallis.

He was born Oct. 1, 1946, in Oregon City. The Ballou family soon moved to Corvallis. Bob graduated in 1964 from Corvallis High School, where he played basketball and baseball. He also played on the Oregon Institute of Technology's basketball team in 1966.

A passion for sports car racing resulted in Bob's driving a Triumph Spitfire in numerous Sports Car Club of America events throughout the Pacific Northwest in the early 1970s. He once competed in a national SCCA race at Road Atlanta in Georgia. During these years, he worked in the parts department and as a car salesman at Jack Scoville Ltd. in Corvallis.

Bob and Pauline were married in San Diego in 1973, and moved to Scotland in 1978. For most of the 1980s, Bob worked for Reuters in London and traveled the world marketing the company's financial services. He semi-retired in the early 1990s and spent his time restoring homes in Scotland and England.

He was also an accomplished amateur golfer and an avid poker player, from which he profited nicely.

He was a great businessman, community-minded, sporty and full of fun. But most of all he was a loving and much-loved family man.

A memorial service will take place Feb. 20 in Oakham.

Condolences can be mailed to: The Ballou Family, Church Farmhouse, 5 Oakham Road, Exton, Rutland LE15 8AX, UK .