Benedicto Tirona Balan, Jr. otherwise known to most as Jun was born on April 18, 1945 to Benedicto, Sr. and Candida Balan.  In 1965, at 18 years of age, Jun enlisted in the United States Navy and served as a cook/chef aboard the USS Hancock. During his station at Alameda Naval Base in 1967, he met and fell in love with a young lady by the name of Estrellita Lagdamen. The couple dated for 3 months and then married. He served in the Navy until 1970. After service, Jun worked for Golden Grains as a warehouseman where he worked until 1988. During his free time he loved fishing, sports and spending time with his friends and family. The family moved to Vallejo and then to Benicia, where he and his wife ran a board and care facility for the elderly for several years. They were loved by their residents, most lived with them for over 8 years. They had a great relationship with the community. For leisure, the couple would also take several trips back to their homeland in the Philippines. They began taking cruises and visiting friends. In 2003, he and Lita moved to San Diego. They lived there for the last 14 years and finally retired from caregiving in 2014. The most important thing to Jun was his family, immediate and extended, and it gave him joy to see his cousins and old friends. He was a wonderful son, brother, cousin, uncle, husband, father, grandfather and friend. Anyone that has every met him has said that he was an easy going friendly guy with a cool demeanor and paid attention to you. He never had a bad word to say to anyone and was always laughing and joking. He brought a smile to everyone's face. He is survived by his wife, Estrellita L. Balan, three children: Bernard, Gina and Robert. Three grandchildren: Kaleigh, Alec and Angelina.

He will be missed by all.

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