Henry “Hank” Balenske, 95, of Fenner, passed away Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, at home surrounded by his family. He was born Jan. 24, 1927, in Syracuse, one of 11 children to Joseph and Antoinette Balenske. Hank was a lifelong dairy farmer and made a living with a love for the land and animals. He was the owner/operator of Balenske Farms in Fenner and worked daily on the farm until he was 89 years old.
Hank is survived by his wife of 73 years, Arlene; his children, Deanna (David) Berreth of Lexington, KY, Kenton (Nancy) Balenske of Annapolis, MD and Kallon Balenske of Fenner; six grandchildren, Drew (Jennifer) Berreth, Meredith (Adam Blackmore) Balenske, Lindsay Berreth, Christopher (Caitlin Dolan) Balenske, Jacquelynn (John) Duckett and Nicholas Gott; three great-grandchildren, Ava, Charlotte and Abigail as well as several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Hank was predeceased by 10 brothers and sisters.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Michael E. Brown Funeral Services, 2333 Fenner Road in Cazenovia. There are no calling hours. Burial will be in the spring at Evergreen Cemetery, Cazenovia. Contributions in Hank’s memory may be made to CazCares, 101 Nelson St., Cazenovia, NY 13035. To leave a message of sympathy for the Balenske family, please visit michaelebrownfuneralservices.com.
