Kelly S. Balser was born in Lafayette, Indiana, and was a graduate of Benton Central High School. As a child she was described as outspoken and occasionally mischievous, providing her family with constant laughter, especially when she wasn’t even trying. She married her high school sweetheart, Mark Balser, in August 1988 and joined him in San Antonio where he was stationed in the Air Force. Kelly had worked with nurses at the Texas Medical Foundation as an administrative assistant and this work sparked her interest to pursue a career in nursing.
She began to volunteer at local hospitals as a Blue Bird and enrolled at The University of Texas at San Antonio to complete prerequisite courses. In 1992, Kelly was admitted into the School of Nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, now known as UT Health San Antonio. While there, she distinguished herself by graduating Summa Cum Laude and Salutatorian for the Fall Class of 1994. Kelly began her nursing career in Muncie, Indiana, at Ball Memorial Hospital where she worked in orthopedics while her husband finished his degree at Ball State University. She remained at Ball Memorial until December 1997 when they decided as a family to move back to Texas.
Starting in January 1998, Kelly worked in orthopedics at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Memorial City, Texas, in suburban west Houston. In January 2000, she made the move to school nursing landing a job at Katy Junior High School in the Katy Independent School District. In Fall 2004, Kelly had the privilege of opening a new school, Morton Ranch High School, as the head nurse, where she remained until her untimely death on September 4, 2020.
She leaves her husband of 32 years, Mark, and their two children, Halee and Lance. Halee, was born in 1995 and is currently a biology teacher at her mother’s and father’s own Morton Ranch High School. Lance was born in 2001 and is currently a student at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Kelly was a kind, caring, intelligent and patient nurse who worked to treat both faculty and students with precision. She was an outstanding mother, not only to her own children, but also to all the students she served as a school nurse for over 20 years. In her spare time, she loved to travel, especially to national parks around the country. She also loved to spend time with her prized beagle, Liberty Belle, and her Tonkinese cat, Clara Barton. She loved penguins and collected penguin-related items as much as she could. Kelly will be remembered and missed the most for her infectious laugh that was distinctive and recognizable in both volume and distance.
The Kelly S. Balser Nursing Scholarship was established in 2020 by her husband, Mark, along with family and friends. This endowment will support undergraduate nursing students who have a GPA of 3.25 or higher and have an interest in pediatrics. Preference will be given to a military spouse or a spouse of a veteran.
To make a gift to the Kelly S. Balser Nursing Scholarship, complete and submit the form below. If you have any questions, please contact Anna Chowdhury, School of Nursing Director of Development, at (210) 450-7308.