John Joseph Balardo, born July 24, 1940, who passed peacefully on August 13, 2025, was a devoted husband, father and corporate lawyer whose career ranged from federal prosecutor to Meijer's first inhouse counsel and, later, corporate counsel for Atlas Trucking.
Mr. Balardo was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Mich., and attended St. Stevens Elementary and Catholic Central. He studied at Western Michigan University and after completing eighty hours, along with a high GPA, was able to enroll at the Detroit College of Law. After graduating law school, he passed the bar and joined Lawyers Title Insurance in Detroit. He and his young family left Detroit during the unrest of the late 1960s and returned to Grand Rapids, where he served as a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice, handling cases from the prosecution of the Michigan and Florida mafia to the reclamation of property to form the Sleeping Bear Dunes and Pictured Rocks. He later moved into corporate practice, building legal departments at Meijer and, ultimately, Atlas Trucking, where he concluded his career.
Outside the courtroom and boardroom, Mr. Balardo was known for an energetic curiosity and a wide range of pastimes. A lifelong learner, he was an expert ping pong player and an enthusiastic, if occasional, amateur magician. He enjoyed bowling, billiards, golf, tennis and running, and was a regular at neighborhood lunches and card tables, playing bridge and poker with friends.
He was the son of the late Vincent and Mary Balardo; his sister, Diane, and brother, Vincent, also predeceased him. He is survived by his devoted wife, Geralyn, who cared tirelessly for him in his waning years; sons, John (Amy) and Christopher and granddaughters, Sophia and Katherine. The family plans a private ceremony to celebrate his life. In lieu of flowers, they ask that donations be made in his name to the Samaritan's Purse.