Posted on: Tuesday, June 7, 2005

David Ballie, 84, plantation manager

Advertiser Staff

David Ballie, a second-generation sugar plantation manager, died of a long illness on May 28 in Honolulu. He was 84.

Born on Oct. 14, 1920, at Pepe'ekeo, Hawai'i, and raised in the Islands, Ballie witnessed the decline of the sugar industry.

His father worked on plantations. Ballie made his way up from field superintendent to manager of O'ahu Sugar Co. and Lihu'e Plantation before retirement. He cried when he left Lihu'e after long involvement in community activities.

An avid golfer, he worked on golf tournaments on Kaua'i and the Hawaii Open in Honolulu. He was a member of the Kaua'i Yacht Club and participated in the Aloha Fund Drive. President Nixon appointed him a member of the National Parks Board.

Ballie played quarterback for Roosevelt High School and served as an infantry captain during World War II with the 100th Battalion in Europe. He received a Bronze Star and a Silver Star, a Purple Heart and a Presidential Unit Citation.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia, and a sister, Cecilia Webster. A funeral will be at 10 a.m. June 16 at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.