Obituary: Sonia Balakirsky

Sonia Balakirsky of Sandy Springs, Georgia passed away on Sept. 2. She was born in Brooklyn, New York on May 29, 1931, to Yetta and Samuel Kaplan. Sonia had two siblings, Shirley and Selma. She leaves behind her husband of 62 years, Jack, and sons Jay (Melanie) and Stephen (Tally), five grandchildren, Samantha, Amanda, Talia, Gita, and Avi, and two step-grandchildren, Spencer and Carly. She met Jack while ice skating at the old Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.

When sons Jay and Stephen were young, Sonia enjoyed doing arts and crafts projects, singing songs, and going on single day adventures with them. She was an active member of Congregation Har Shalom and its sisterhood in Potomac, Maryland.

Sonia worked as a policy writer for Royal Globe Insurance in New York, and later for Travelers Insurance in Hartford, Conn. After moving to Maryland, Sonia worked as a secretary and statistical typist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Rockville. Her last assignment before retiring was working with Dr. C. Everett Koop, Surgeon General, on his program to help people stop smoking.

Sonia was an avid reader of fiction and non-fiction. She enjoyed collecting Royal Doulton ceramic flowers and Waterford Crystal clocks and displayed them prominently in her home. She loved to travel, taking trips throughout the U.S., England, France, Israel, and Canada. Cruises included the Caribbean, Alaska, Hawaii, and the east coast to Canada. Sonia enjoyed dancing and her favorite dance was the rumba.

In closing, Sonia had a wonderful life. She always had a positive attitude, took pride in what she was doing, and had a great sense of humor. She expressed love, loved with all of her heart, and enjoyed joking with her sons when they called and visited.

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