Jon Carl Balson, 78, went home to be with his Savior on February 28, 2025. Jon was born in Franklin, NJ, and moved to Lancaster County in 1986. He leaves behind his wife of 46 years, Cynthia (Cindi) Balson of Leola, PA; daughter Jen Reiff, married 23 years to Steve Reiff (deceased), and their three sons, Toby, Simon, and Caleb of Ephrata, PA; and son, Chris Balson, married to Audra Balson and their children, Sawyer and Ruby of Lititz, PA; and two brothers, Michael Yurchak and wife Kathleen, and Gary Balson and late wife Susan, both of NJ.

Jon graduated from Houghton College in 1968, with a degree in German. He earned his M.A. and Doctorate in German Languages from UNC-Chapel Hill. Early in his career he served as Intergovernmental Coordinator of Cumberland County, NJ, and later served as Congressional Aide to U.S. Representative W.J. Hughes in Washington DC. In 1980, Jon returned to Houghton as the Executive Director of External Affairs and Professor of Government and Public Policy. Toward the end of his career he transitioned to State service under Governor Tom Ridge, and later became the Administrator of the PA Uniform Construction Code until his retirement in 2011.

Jon and Cindi are longtime members of Lancaster Evangelical Free Church (LEFC) of Lititz, PA, where Jon served for many years as an Elder, most recently overseeing the Compassion Fund. He had a heart for mentorship at LEFC. In addition, Jon served on the West Earl Township Zoning Hearing Board.

In his younger years, Jon was an avid cyclist. He was a runner, a Phillies fan, and enjoyed classical music, playing games with his grandkids, and keeping his lawn beautifully manicured. In his retirement, he developed and maintained a website honoring the WW II Gunboat, U.S.S. ERIE, on which his father served. His primary goal for retirement was to be of service to the Kingdom of God.

Friends and family will be received at 9AM on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at Lancaster Evangelical Free Church, 419 Pierson Rd., Lititz, PA 17543. A Celebration of Life Service will follow beginning at 10AM. For those that cannot attend in person, the service will be livestreamed by the church at : LEFC.net/livestream.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to LEFC https://www.lefc.net/give/ or Houghton University https://www.houghton.edu/giving/ in Jon's memory.