David Thomas Balabanis, CRNA, 65, of Fresno, California, passed away on April 22, 2023, due to unfortunate complications from a recent diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Born on February 24, 1958, in Wichita Falls, Texas to Achilles and Charlyn Balabanis, he was the second eldest of four children.
David attended Cheney High School in Washington state. He was a varsity track athlete and held multiple records in distance running. His record for the mile was only recently broken by the son of a teammate. After graduating from high school in 1976 he ventured to University of Texas El Paso with a cello scholarship but left after a year to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he played professionally in a quartet. He excelled in diverse occupations from businessman, field worker, and hobby farm tending before choosing to return to school in his thirties to pursue a career in nursing. He graduated from the Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education in Spokane, Washington and then the Kaiser Permanente School of Anesthesia in Pasadena, California. He served passionately in his career as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist for over 20 years and most recently established his company, Sierra Southwest Anesthesia, providing anesthesia services throughout the valley.
David married Katharine Nelson in Glorieta, New Mexico on September 1, 2002. He was most proud of their children, Alec and Elena Balabanis. A beloved son and brother, loving husband and devoted father, David’s talents and passions were many. He was a curious and lifelong learner with a passion for cooking, coffee bean roasting, yogurt-making, rollerblading, golfing, and listening to music. He was most at peace when walking his dog along the beautiful San Joaquin River Valley. He expressed genuine interest in whomever he met and sported a delightful sense of humor, often engaging with people in unexpected and memorable conversation.
He is survived by his spouse, Katharine Nelson, and his two children, Alec and Elena Balabanis; his parents, Achilles and Charlyn Balabanis; his sisters, Nadine Baxter, Helen Balabanis and Kathryn Peabody.
This obituary was originally published on Chapel of the Light’s website.