Back to Mr. Balis and the gas station - maybe I have my facts skewed, but didn't he own that gas station, and wasn't he robbed/murdered there? I thought I read that eons ago, and that was the reason they built and named the park after him.
After searching the web, I couldn't find any references to indicate that Mr. Balis died of unnatural causes but I have the same impression you do about his demise. Here is the official City version of why the park is named as it is:Balis Park is located in the middle of The Square at San Marco – a commercial district in south Jacksonville. Development of the San Marco subdivision began in 1925, and one of the first commercial structures (completed in early 1927) was a quaint, Spanish-style Gulf service station, in the middle of the Square. Gulf Oil later replaced the station with a modern version, and the City purchased the parcel in 1984 for development as a park – which the San Marco Preservation Society and local merchants envisioned as a center piece for the Square. Sheffield and his wife Abla Balis were longtime residents of San Marco, and Mrs. Balis funded the park’s development, in memory of her husband who passed away in 1976. The dedication ceremony took place in January 1988, and later improvements included a sound system, the bronze sculpture Windy Days, and landscaping, which were funded by the estate of Abla Balis and the City.
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:vAn9bmEI1BAJ:apps2.coj.net/parksinternet/parkdetails.asp%3Fparkid%3D27+abla+balis+jacksonville&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
Did you know this tower in Oaklawn Cemetery was also named after the Balis family?
The mausoleum is also a tower that is a focal point in this cemetery.
It was built in loving memory of Sheffield H. Balis by his wife, Alba Balis.
Both husband and wife are now interred in this mausoleum.
Sheffield H. Balis - February 14, 1900 - December 6, 1976
Ablis Balis - February 14, 1900 - September 1, 1996
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM5JXF
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