Cursio Balbo Obituary

Cursio (Gus) Balbo, devoted husband to Shirley (Roberts) Balbo, passed away peacefully at home on February 2, 2022, at the age of 89. Shirley and Gus shared 66 happy years of marriage. He was born on October 14, 1932, in Gloucester, to the late Joseph and Lillian Balbo. He was the youngest of three siblings in a close-knit family, a basketball lover, and a lifelong Gloucester resident. In his early years, he enjoyed spending time with his closest friends and participating in all the Fiesta activities that were held in his Sicilian neighborhood, The Fort. Seine boat racing was his favorite activity during the Fiesta. He shared his passion for this sport with his sons and eventually competed against his sons once they were old enough to participate. He attended the Gloucester Public Schools and in 1951, following high school, he enlisted in the United States Air Force. He was a proud veteran and a member of the Keesler Airforce Basketball team while he was stationed at the Keesler Airforce Base in Biloxi, MS. It was during this time that he found the love of his life, Shirley. They were married in 1955 and moved to Gloucester to raise their three children.

He followed the Gloucester Italian tradition and began his career as a commercial fisherman. He fished on the Vincie N, The Texas, Jeanne D Arc, and St. Peter and later bought his own family fishing boat, The Hunter. He enjoyed fishing with his sons on The Hunter and continued fishing on the family boat until his retirement. Gus loved attending Fiesta each year and weekly Sunday dinners with his family. He would go on to show his children and grandchildren how to prepare his mother's special recipe for meatballs, sausage, and sauce for their families. He was devoted to Shirley and his family and loved spending time with them especially during the holidays. Gus and Shirley enjoyed watching their children play organized sports. Gus was his children's biggest supporter. He also was able to eventually watch his grandchildren and great-grandchildren playing sports which gave him great pleasure. Shirley and Gus took numerous trips, too many to count, back to Biloxi, MS, with their own family to visit Shirley's relatives. They looked forward to those trips and created many wonderful and lasting memories. Gus was an avid Red Sox, Celtics and Patriots fan. He was a member of the Gloucester Elks, AMVETS and St. Peter's Club.

During retirement, he looked forward to meeting up with all his closest retired fishermen friends, Bikey, Memo, Joe G, Ollie and Paul P, for coffee daily. He enjoyed reminiscing about the past with them and was always a loyal friend.

Gus was an exceptional husband, father, grandfather and friend. He was a humble and kind man and always a great listener. When you spoke with Gus, he made you feel like you were the only person that mattered. He always took the time to pull you aside to find out what was going on in your life. He was very close to all his grandchildren, involved in their lives, and always there for them. He took great pride in their accomplishments, encouraged them, and supported them. Family meant everything to Gus, but more importantly, he meant everything to his family.

Gus was deeply loved by his family and will be missed.

Gus is survived by his son, Joseph and his wife, Susan; his daughter Lila Amero and her husband, Jeff. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Deanna Benjamin and her husband, Robb; Danny and his wife Mari; Candace; Joseph and his wife, Alexa; Ashley Gentile and her husband, Rory; Jeffrey J. Amero and his wife, Marissa; Misty Corbett and her husband, Matthew. He is survived by 15 great grandchildren, Cole, Avery, Alexa, Alivia, Celeste, Reese, Francis, Dezi, Nicholas, Sophie, Elise, Alannah, Emma, Abby, and Eliza. He is survived by his sister, Louisa Asaro and her husband, Sam; brother-in-law, Bubby (Herman) Roberts and his wife, Adele; and sister-in-law Dottie Roberts. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his son, Daniel; his parents; his brother Samuel and his wife, Kitty; his mother and father-in-law, Herman and, Dorothy Roberts; and sister-in-law, Betty Thomason and her husband, Bill.

Visiting hours in the Greely Funeral Home, 212 Washington Street, Gloucester will be held on Tuesday, February 8, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Relatives and friend are cordially invited to attend.

His Funeral Mass will be celebrated in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, Holy Family Parish on Tuesday, February 8, at 11:00 a.m. The burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Gloucester. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Vincent de Paul Society, c/o Holy Family Parish, 60 Prospect Street, Gloucester, MA 01930.