Georgia J. Balsamo

Georgia James Balsamo, (89), of Freeport, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Sunday, August 2, 2015, at Liberty Village Manor Court. She was born July 25, 1926, in Freeport, IL, the daughter of Evagelia (Petropoulos) and James (Chiamopoulos) Chiames, who were born in Piana Greece. They were members of the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Freeport. Georgia graduated from Freeport High School in 1944. When her oldest child graduated from high school and was headed off to college, she decided to start attending classes at Highland Community College at the age of 41 and was just two credits shy of receiving her Associates Degree. Three years later she learned how to drive for the first time at the age of 44. When she was 79, she traveled to Greece for the first time with family members where she was able to talk to the locals in Athens, Santorini and Mykonos and learned about her heritage. It was a trip of a lifetime for her. She and Nicholas (Nick) Balsamo were married on May 8, 1948 in Dixon, IL. They were married for 40 years and raised five children until his death on August 14, 1988. She is survived by her five children, Martin (Marian) of Fayetteville, NC, James (Carol) of Hermitage, TN, Anthony (Bobbi), Frances (Tess) (Kevin) Dahm and Phillip (Elaine) of Freeport, eight grandchildren, Christina (Dan) Heir, Apex, NC, Michelle (Kirk) Walden, Fayetteville, NC, Kelly (Dana) Kasten, Mesa, AZ, Stacy (John) Anderson, Katy (Jay) Luy, both of Wesley Chapel, FL, Nicole Dahm, Freeport, Colton Balsamo, Madison, WI, Holly Balsamo, Freeport, and step-grandchild, Jeffrey Dahm, Madison, WI, 8 great grandchildren, 4 step-great grandchildren, her brothers children and their families, numerous aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews and her close friend, Don Sala. Preceding her in death were her parents, her brother George Chiames and her husband and her in-laws. Georgia was a loving mother, grandmother and friend and enjoyed helping others. Not one to sit still, she led an active life raising her 5 children and working 3 different jobs until her death. She started in the restaurant business at the age of 13 working with her parents at the Freeport Lunch Restaurant from 1939 - 1948 and then at the Chiames Caf from 1949 - 1961. She has been employed at Don's Oasis for the past 67 years (1948 - 2015) along with teaching the "Applied Food Sanitation" class at Highland Community College for the past 36 years (1978 - 2014) and worked at Liberty Village for the past 14 years (2000 - 2014). She was also mentioned in a book (page 19) written by Bill McGrane about Alan Page, (All Rise, The Remarkable Journey of Alan Page), "He was inspired by an 81 year old waitress named Georgia who he met during a visit to Freeport when he stopped at Don's Oasis. Who sees the big picture and their place in it? God knows, Georgia out in Freeport gets its, that's a start right there!" Funeral Services to be held at 10:30 AM, Monday, August 10th at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, 607 W. Galena Ave., Freeport. Visitation to be held at Burke-Tubbs Funeral Home at 504 N. Walnut Ave., Freeport on Sunday, August 9th from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM with a Trisagion Service at 6:00 PM. A memorial has been established for the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Freeport.