Roland W Ball

Roland William Ball passed away peacefully the morning of May 20, 2024.  Born on December 17, 1942, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, he was the second son and one of seven children born to Laura Charlotte and Jess Carl Ball.

Roland ‘s younger years were spent on the farm, getting into all kinds of adventures with his siblings, before eventually moving into town.  He attended Ben Franklin Junior High School and later graduated from Uniontown High School.  Roland moved to Chicago shortly thereafter to seek better opportunities and moved in with his grandparents, Ruth and Roland Madill, whom Roland is named after.  He found steady work on the railroad at Union Station, tossing mail bags into boxcars, but he knew he needed more.  His uncle offered him his first food service job, working in the kitchen and delivering food at a country club in Cleveland.  He eventually headed back home to Uniontown and took work as a short-order cook at Howard Johnson’s.  At his brother Jack’s invitation, Roland would hang with some of the local kids and a young lady in the group named Gayle Heintzelman.

Roland, Gayle, and the group would always find fun on the weekends, which included dancing at the record hops at the VFW and Sons of Italy Hall.  The dancing and time spent together moved their relationship from being just friends to being a couple.  The two fell in love and became husband and wife on May 21, 1964, and began their life adventure.  Their son, Roland, Jr., was born the following year and the family of three soon began traveling as Roland moved from opportunity to opportunity, taking care of his family, always rising in the ranks of the restaurants where he worked.  Back to Chicago, then Dallas, then his first management positions all the way back in Pennsylvania.  One more prospect brought the family to Ohio and the family settled there for the next 10 years, nearby his sister Charlotte and brother Bob.

Roland, tired of the tough winters, stagnant economy, and constant traveling for his regional work, brought the family back down to Texas in 1980, looking for something better.  He started as a district manager with a Pizza Hut franchisee, then later joined a Taco Bell franchise group as their Director of Operations.  After the franchise group sold to Taco Bell Corp., Roland worked briefly as a Franchise Consultant, traveling to Colorado and New Mexico. In 1987, his big break came, and he was able to purchase two Taco Bells from another franchisee.  Partnering with his brother J.C., Ball Industries, Inc. was born.  Roland, Jr. joined him in 1995, and together, along with our incredible team led by Mike Thomas, he established himself as one of the premier Taco Bell franchisees in the country, still going strong nearly 37 years later.

Roland loved music and swing dancing, cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing poker or shooting pool with his brothers, and restoring and collecting muscle cars, including his beloved 1968 Ford Mustang Shelby.  He was passionate about running restaurants and running them well.  Roland loved speaking with our managers and their teams when visiting our Taco Bells, learning from them and sharing his wisdom, which was infinite.  But beyond all of that, nothing made Roland happier than spending time with family – sharing a meal, telling stories, laughing, and simply being together.  Whether at the holidays or just any regular day of the week, being with his family is what he treasured most.

Roland is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Gayle Ball; son Roland Ball, Jr. and his wife Julie; daughter Lisa Ann Allotta-Dennis and her husband Jeff; grandchildren Reagan Ball and his wife Alaina, Reese Ball, Riley Ball, Anthony Morgan and Alexander Morgan; great grandson Elijah Ball; brother Jess (J.C.) Ball and his wife Jackie, brother Jack Ball and his wife Pattie Jo, sister Charlotte Martin, brother Bob Ball and his wife Maria, sister Jayne Judy and her husband Ed; sister in law Sylvia Ball and many loving nieces, nephews and friends.  He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Arthur Ball.

A memorial service to celebrate Roland’s life will be held Saturday, June 8, 2024, at 2 pm, at Allen Family Funeral Options with Pastor Neal Jeffries officiating. If you wish to view the service via webcast, please visit: https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/101436

There will be a reception to follow the service.

In honor of Roland’s lifelong generosity, the family would like to encourage you to make a donation on behalf of Roland to either the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ( https://www.lls.org ) or the Prestonwood Pregnancy Center ( https://prestonwoodpregnancy.org/friends/ ).  Flowers are not necessary.