Kristine "Kristy" Anne Balka (née Dotson) (March 2, 1970 - April 14, 2009) was the matriarch of the Balka family. She was the wife of Michael Balka, with whom she has 5 children and 4 grandchildren, with 1 grandchild on the way.
Marriage[]
Kristy married Michael Herman Balka on January 9, 1993, in Dallas County, Texas. The family was very close, as they homeschooled the kids and Michael worked from home. They ate almost every meal together as a family for about 10 years. Kristy and Michael both loved working with their children in Bible quiz. On April 13, 2009, they were able to see their son, Kelton, and his team win the national championship in Bible quiz at the South Carolina Quiz Association National Invitational Tournament. After the awards ceremony, they went to St. Francis Hospital for Kristy to give birth to their fifth child. The next day, April 14, 2009, Kristy passed away while giving birth to their daughter, Kierstin Joy Balka. Kristy had the best medical care available in upstate South Carolina. The St. Francis facility that attended to her had never lost a mother in childbirth before Kristy Balka. She died from a very rare condition called an "amniotic fluid embolism".
Motherhood[]
The couple has 5 children.
Their first child, son Kelton Edward, was born on July 4, 1995. He is married to Josie Bates. Together, they have 3 children. Their first child, daughter Willow Kristy, was born on July 19, 2019. Their second child, daughter Hazel Sloane, was born on June 14, 2021. Their third child, son Miles Kelton, was born on February 21, 2024. The couple suffered a miscarriage on August 25, 2020.
Their second child, daughter Ariana Kristine, was born on February 6, 1998. She is married to Joel Cape. Together, they have 1 child. Their first child, son Trip, was born on August 20, 2022.
Their third child, son Grant Michael, was born on August 10, 1999. He is married to Maddie Ragle.
Their fourth child, son Carson Daniel, was born on December 4, 2003.
Their fifth child, daughter Kierstin Joy, was born on April 14, 2009.
Education[]
In 1994, Kristy graduated from Pensacola Christian College with a degree in Elementary Education.
Career[]
After graduating from college, she taught third grade at Central Florida Christian Academy in Orlando, Florida for one year, before having her first child, Kelton.
Kristy encouraged Michael to be actively involved in homeschooling their children. Michael was responsible for History, Bible, and P.E., while Kristy was responsible for all of the other subjects. After she passed away, Michael assumed full responsibility for homeschooling the children. They used Temple Baptist Academy as their Homeschool Umbrella School to report grades. Michael became the Bible quiz coach for Temple Baptist Academy and their teams were able to win several tournaments over the next decade, as well as two national championships. God blessed the children with a measure of academic success. All five children had the opportunity to experience being the top overall quizzer at different Bible quiz tournaments.