Elliot Bernard Balaber passed away peacefully on the morning of June 23rd, 2021 in Towson, Maryland after a brief  battle with a rare neurological disorder called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. 

Elliot was born in Queens, New York on April 30th, 1955. As a child, he was an accomplished accordionist, ball player, and mathematician. By the age of 12, he'd played accordion in Carnegie Hall, and was awarded for his advance skills in mathematics by his middle school class. Always the life of the party, Elliot was known for his keen sense of humor and sharp wit. Though he came from financially humble beginnings, Elliot proved to be resourceful and industrious from a young age, providing for himself and his beloved mother, Ann Star, at the age of 10 by working odd jobs around his neighborhood. Elliot graduated from Queens College, C.U.N.Y, in 1976 with a B.S. in Psychology, Cum Laude, specializing in consumer behavior, industrial psychology, statistics and economics. Immediately after graduation, Elliot started as a warehouse worker and sales trainee in New York for Halco, one of the world's largest restaurant equipment manufacturers. He spent the next several years ascending the ranks at Halco, culminating in his promotion to National Vice President in 1984. In 1986, Elliot founded his own company, EBBCO, fulfilling his lifelong dream of owning and operating his own business. Always committed to seeing things through to completion, Elliot ran his business thoroughly until the very end, even making business calls on his way to the hospital. 

Elliot played just as hard as he worked. Never one to flinch in the face of a good challenge, Elliot was competitive to his core. An incredibly active and fit man, Elliot excelled in tennis, lifted weights regularly at the gym, hosted weekly poker matches, and was even captain of his local Softball League merely months before his passing. He was in peak physical and mental shape in the final year of his life, despite having fought and beaten cancer twice in the preceding five years. He'd endured two full rounds of chemo and radiation therapy treatments, remaining vigilant and optimistic throughout the frequently grueling process. Elliot was a fighter.

He was also a man of faith. Growing up as the son of first and second generation Ashkenazi immigrant parents, Elliot was deeply proud of his Jewish heritage, and he reverently integrated its traditions into his life. In the final decade of his life, Elliot embraced a Christian faith in partnership with his observant Judaism. Elliot vehemently maintained that he would preserve his Jewish identity despite how his faith had evolved, and he saw his belief in Jesus as an enriching addition to his Jewish faith, not a detraction from it. Elliot continued to observe Jewish traditions while attending churches in Florida, in which he was always eager to take on additional responsibilities in leadership positions. In his final years, Elliot served as a counselor to a men’s group in his church, where he was consulted for his down-to-Earth, no-nonsense approach to spiritual guidance and faith-based wisdom.

Though he was accomplished in his personal and professional life, Elliot's proudest achievements were his three children. Elliot adored being a father, and was widely recognized as a particularly hands-on dad. He was deeply proud of his role as a single-father to Evan and Jordan in their early years, and saw his ability to raise them by himself as one of his greatest accomplishments. From coaching the kids' soccer teams to chaperoning their school field trips, Elliot was always eager to be involved in his children's lives, and was deeply supportive and nurturing to their individual interests and personalities. As the kids grew into adulthood, he adopted a “passenger seat” parenting approach; offering guidance, but allowing his children space to make their own life decisions and flourish organically towards their respective passions. He delighted in his children’s creative pursuits and professional achievements, and proudly walked his daughter down the aisle at her wedding. His children turned to him often for wisdom, support, perspective, and a good-humored dose of reality.

In the final months of his life, Elliot was preparing for a seasonal move to Nashville, TN, with hopes of spending even more quality time with his kids and grandkids. He was deeply loved and cherished, and will be missed by all who knew him. 

Elliot will live on through his three children, Britney Cashman, Evan Balaber, and Jordan Balaber, his son-in-law, Jonathan Cashman, and his 3-year-old granddaughter, Everly Cashman, to whom he gleefully relished his role as “Pop-Pop”. Another Cashman grandchild will arrive in November, and she will know her Pop-Pop through the great stories her family will tell of him. 

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/elliot-balaber/obituary/

Copy