Francis Ballard, lawyer and community leader

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Francis Ballard, 88, formerly of Fort Washington and Wyndmoor, a lawyer with Ballard Spahr in Philadelphia, a national firm cofounded by his grandfather, died June 20 of pulmonary fibrosis at Cathedral Village, where he had resided for the past 10 years.

Mr. Ballard retired in 1990 after spending 41 years at the firm, specializing in corporate law.

He also was an active community leader. He was a cofounder of the Wissahickon Hospice, the first hospice in Pennsylvania and the first in-home hospice nationwide. After cofounding the hospice program in 1981, Mr. Ballard trained as a hospice volunteer.

He was an organizer for the nonprofit Green Tree Community Health Foundation, based in Chestnut Hill, and had served as president of the boards of Chestnut Hill Hospital, Germantown Academy and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association.

Born in Philadelphia, he attended what was then Chestnut Hill Academy and, later, St. George's School in Newport, R.I. He graduated from Yale University and received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Ballard worked briefly for the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office before joining Ballard Spahr, where his father and an older brother were employed.

He was an avid sailor throughout his life and taught his two children and four grandchildren to sail. He took up rowing in his 50s and was a member of the University Barge Club.

He also was devoted to music, singing while in boarding school and, more recently, as a member of the chorus at Cathedral Village. He also sang with the Orpheus Club of Philadelphia, the oldest men's singing group in the country, for more than 50 years.

Mr. Ballard is survived by his wife, the former Jane Catlett; a son, Francis Ballard Jr.; a daughter, Martha Barton Ballard, and four grandchildren.

A funeral service was held June 28 at the First United Methodist Church of Germantown. Memorial donations may be made to the Green Tree Community Health Foundation, 6 E. Willow Grove Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19118, or to Cathedral Village, 600 E. Cathedral Road, Philadelphia, PA 19128 – WF

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