Dr. Harpal Singh Bal's Obituary
Dr. Harpal Singh Bal, age 91, of Ames, Iowa passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames on March 4, 2018. He was born on November 9, 1926 in Rangoon, Burma, son of Gurcharan Kaur and Dalip Singh Bal. He joined Lahore Sikh National College in Lahore, India in 1946 and following the partition of India, enrolled in St. Xavier College in Calcutta. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree at the Veterinary College in Hissar, India where he then taught as an assistant professor. Harpal received his Master's Degree from Ohio State University and his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 1969. He taught at Iowa State University at the College of Veterinary Medicine for over 30 years, retiring in 1996 as a full professor. His research involved studying the connection between birth defects and pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides. The student body voted to give him the Outstanding Service Award for "performing outstanding services and making outstanding contributions to students, above and beyond their normal duties." Harpal married Harbhajan Kaur Randhawa in 1954. He is survived by Harbhajan, his brother retired Brigadier Dr. Barinder S. Bal, his children Goga Bal, Jyoti Sargent, Sarvinder Naberhaus, and Neelinder Bal, eight grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be held at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, March 10 at Crossroads Baptist Church, 57011 Highway 30, Ames, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to "Sikhs of Iowa Khalsa Heritage Inc." and sent to Harbhajan Bal, 5746 Felber St., Ames, Iowa 50010
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