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By Laurie Larson Did you know Randy Balt? If you had to stop to think whether or not you knew him, you did not. How can I be so sure? Because trite as it may sound, Randy was one of a kind. "Larger than life, a true force of nature, a great big bear of a friend who was always happy to see you and made you feel that at that moment you were the exact person he wanted to see." These are some of the descriptions his good friends gave me. And there are many more...friends and descriptions. I got a text, and another one, and an email, all telling me that Randy had had a massive heart attack and that he had died. I was shocked. Big, robust, joyful Randy was gone? But he swam every day and he was so very full of life. It seemed unbelievable that he wouldn't be around any more, charging into a room and filling it with light and laughter; taking charge of yet another Ad Hoc Committee and bringing it to fruition; dressing up in drag and kicking up his heels while he tossed back his long locks, prancing around on stage while everyone laughed. And all of us, his wonderful family, his friends, our Four Seasons Beaumont community, would have to say goodbye and learn to go on without him. We live in a 55+ community, and because of the age demographic, we frequently hear of a neighbor or a friend or someone else who has died. So why is the Breeze doing such a big tribute to Randy when there are others who served the community who have not been equally honored? Because if it were not for Randy (and Leighton "Mack" McLaughlin), there would be no Breeze. Way back in 2006, 2007, and 2008, the brave pioneers who took a chance on the promise of a fabulous HOA to be, moved into Four Seasons Beaumont. Many of them got to know each other well, and many of them became friends. When management put out a notice requesting volunteers to start a newsletter, Mack responded. As a retired newspaper editor, he had the right experience. So the Sentinel was born. Mack was an editor, but he needed someone familiar with printing to help direct the printing and distribution of the Sentinel, so Randy volunteered. And what a difference he made. Randy had been a broker working out of his home, coordinating printed projects with the best distributors. Mack and Randy each spent over 10 years volunteering their time on the newsletter, turning it from two typed, stapled pages to the slick 60 plus pages now called the Breeze. And that's why we think Randy deserves to be honored in the publication he helped to build. I asked Sue Balt, Randy's wife of 40 years, what she loved most about him. She responded, "His smile and his joy in life. He was happy. He loved to make others laugh and he never wanted to hurt anyone's feelings." Everyone I spoke with - his friends, the FSR staff, other Real Men - talked about Randy's joy and his laughter. Len Tavernetti said, "Randy never got to an event early or late. He would arrive just on time, and when he walked into the room it was as if a light was turned on. And everyone knew they'd be laughing within five minutes." Nelly Alcocer and Saphire Rhodes both had big smiles on their faces when I asked them what it was like to work with Randy who was, after all, a volunteer and not a fellow employee. Nellie shared, "You could hear him as soon as he walked in. He'd say, 'You're not doing anything. I need your help now, kid. And where are the cookies? Folks need to bring more cookies.'" Saphire added that she'd miss his laugh and his loud voice. "He was welcome chaos." But everyone I spoke with made it very clear that despite Randy's love of fun and laughter, he was a good leader and very efficient. "That's why he was asked to lead so many Ad Hoc committees," Cindy Graves told me. "He didn't need expertise with every project he took on. He had this magical leadership quality so he was tough and kind and a good leader." Randy made friends everywhere, and some of his best friends live in the community. Jeff and Teri Davidson, Jack and Linda Federoff, and Mack and Beverly McLaughlin were friends who shared many meals with Randy and Sue. Randy and Mack bonded while working on the Sentinel/Breeze, while Jack and Randy met at a table at a luau in 2016, and Jeff and Randy bonded over a dog clear back in 2006. Jeff said, "At the time we had a very well-behaved Doberman Pinscher named Parker. Many residents crossed the street when Teri or I walked Parker, but not Randy. Randy walked over to us, put his hand out to Parker's nose, bent over and started scratching him behind the ears." Casual conversation would take place when they again met on walks, until Randy heard that Jeff and Teri were getting married. "I want to come," said Randy inviting himself and Sue and starting a close relationship between the two couples. "I miss my friend terribly," said Jeff. "See you later, Randy." Jack Federoff said that his best memory of Randy was one of the rarities in life: meeting someone and forming an immediate friendship that you knew would last forever. Jack said Randy was dedicated to family, 6 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MARCH 2020 Saying Goodbye To A Friend Randy (far right) and the Real Men of Four Seasons in drag, his favorite

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