07/01/2024
The CF community, the Winemasters community in particular, and countless others are mourning the loss of Barbara Balik, who died peacefully at her home in Napa, CA on June 25, 2024, from complications due to cancer at the age of 77. Barbara was born on April 30, 1947, in Hartford, Connecticut and then moved with her family to Los Angeles in 1960 at the age of 13. She met her husband, Allen, in the summer of 1966. They married on April 2, 1967, and raised their family in the Los Angeles area, first in Studio City and then in Sherman Oaks. After her children, Shelby and Randy, were grown, she and Allen moved from Sherman Oaks to Napa, CA in 2001, where they have been deeply engaged in the community ever since.
As you all know, Barbara has a far-reaching legacy, having dedicated her life to helping others through her extensive efforts in support of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s fundraising endeavors to find a cure for CF, a cause for which she originally had no personal connection. She dedicated more than five decades of her life to the Foundation, first as a volunteer and later as a staff member in the Southern California Chapter, leaving an indelible mark on both the Foundation and the broader CF Community. Barbara’s passion and dedication were evident in her earliest involvement as a volunteer with the CF Valley Guild, which led to her role securing gifts for the Foundation’s first capital fundraising campaign, and later as The Director for Special Giving. Prior to joining the Foundation staff, Barbara also served as the Executive Vice President for our National Board of Trustees.
In 1990, she and Allen merged her passion for the Foundation with his for wine and created “A Culinary Evening with the California Winemasters” at a time when there was no blueprint for charity wine events. Winemasters quickly became a nationally recognized, legendary event, which she put her heart and soul into for over 35 years. Thanks to all of you, this event has raised nearly $40 million over the years coupled with millions more she has raised over her career with the Foundation.
All of you have given. You gave your time, your money, you donated an auction lot, or you bought a sponsorship or even just a single ticket. And you did that because Barbara asked you to do it for others, and she had a way of making you want to do it. She made you feel like you were the most important person in that moment, because to her, you genuinely were. She had a gift and she impacted everyone around her, not to mention the thousands upon thousands with CF whom she never met. With your generosity, she helped to extend and save countless lives, all while making each and every one of you feel as special as you are. That is just part of her enduring legacy.
Barbara made the surprise decision to get on stage at the most recent Winemasters event on May 18th as 1,250 attendees cheered her on, something she had never done before. She typically preferred to be in the background rather than be the center of attention. Her voice was shaky, a physical symptom that had started just days prior to the event. Indeed, she was battling right before our eyes, but she said what she had to say with all the strength she could muster, and she did it with grace and on her terms, all while bringing the enormous crowd to a hush.
We encourage you to watch the video here: https://vimeo.com/973131411?share=copy
At about the 4:50-minute mark in the video link above, she says quite simply: “We lose some people, but they are never lost…they’re always with us.” These are Barbara’s words, and truer words have never been spoken, and she will always be with us.
When Barbara was not working, she made time to travel all around the world and she was particularly passionate about photography and skiing. She and Allen also loved opening their home to their wide circle of friends from near and far, for dinners and visits. And most of all, she loved being active in the lives of her four grandchildren.
A beloved wife, incredible mother, and a dedicated grandmother, Barbara is survived by her husband, Allen, her younger sister Suzie Clark and younger brother Michael Eisenberg, her daughter Shelby Balik (and son-in-law Bill Philpott), her son Randy Balik (and daughter-in-law Noelle), along with her four adored grandchildren, Carly Philpott (18), Peter Philpott (16), Braden Balik (13), and Andrew Balik (9), and of course her treasured beagle, Jazzy.
