Jude Balderson Obituary Jude Joseph Balderson was born on a rainy night, March 27, 2004. His mom gave birth at 4:44 a.m., which was fitting as he was the fourth child of Robert and Nicole Balderson. Jude joined his two older sisters, Chloe Katherine and Emma Rose and his older brother Ian Robert. Jude got a lot of love and attention from his siblings. This led to him enjoying being center stage! At four years old, Jude began dancing with his sisters at Tiernan Irish dance in Boise, Idaho. He performed in his "First Feis" in 2009, winning a medal as one of the youngest dancers. Jude was homeschooled by his mom for kindergarten and first grade. He started reading and enjoyed the project based curriculum that allowed him to develop his creative side. His siblings were also home schooled at that time, so they got to spend more time together in those early years. Emma especially enjoyed having Jude around to dress up and play "House" with. Jude became a big brother in 2006 with the birth of Peter Julian, and again with the birth of Andrew Patrick in 2008. In 2012, his 3rd little brother was born, Simon August. Simon spent time in the NICU at St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise, ID. Jude enjoyed going to visit his tiny brother, and the family was finally complete when Simon got to come home a couple of weeks Later. In 2011, the Balderson children started attending Legacy Charter School. The first year the school opened, Jude was in 2nd grade. He quickly made friends and adapted to going to school. He loved all his classmates and wanted to invite them all to his birthday. Jude was able to have some big celebrations, and nothing made him happier in his elementary years (Except maybe Candy). In fifth and sixth grades, Jude had the opportunity to participate in the RAD (Race Against Drugs) musical program through his charter school. He sang all the songs and had speaking parts as well. This piqued his interest in musical theatre. He performed with Expressions Dance Academy in 7th grade and did improv with Treasure Valley Childrens Theatre in 8th grade. He was also in their production of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." Jude attended St. Ignatius Catholic School, Meridian, Idaho for 8th grade when the school opened in 2017. He was in the very first graduating class in 2018. Although Jude missed his friends at Legacy Charter, especially Aiden Connor and EJ, he quickly made new friends at St. Ignatius. He went on to attend Bishop Kelly High School in Boise, Idaho and was very active in the theatre department his freshman, sophomore and junior years. His favorite play was the musical "All Shook Up" which was performed in March 2019. Jude was a 4.0 student at Bishop Kelly, not an easy feat with a demanding college prep curriculum and his involvement with theatre, speech and debate and a part time job at Subway starting when he was 16. In the fall of 2020, his junior year, the pandemic was in full force, and the Balderson family suffered the loss of Judes elder brother, Ian. It was not something Jude liked to talk about, but it was something that brought great sadness to his life and the life of his family. As Judes personality was, he used humor to deflect those feelings and cheer others up. He loved competing in speech and debate tournaments and qualified for the NSDA (National Speech & Debate Association) Tournament in 2022. Jude also got involved with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival as an apprentice in the summer of 2021 and 2022. He learned a lot and enjoyed his time working with professional actors and stage crew. Jude was a member of Odd Hour Theatre Company, A student run nonprofit that wrote and produced their own plays. He performed in 'Family Knots" and wrote and directed his own play in the summer of 2022, "All About Adeline." Jude graduated from Bishop Kelly High School on May 27, 2022. He attended the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho that fall and began pursuing a degree in Architecture and interior design. Jude Loved to build things. He started building Legos as a kid, then constructing model houses out of cardboard and wood. He also took ceramics in High School and made some unique pieces. Unfortunately, college did not work out as planned and Jude left the U of I after one semester. Jude spent 2023 living at home for a few months, working as an in-home caregiver for adult clients with developmental disabilities. He enjoyed helping others and this gave him a new purpose in his life. He moved to Portland, Oregon at the beginning of May 2023. He rented his own apartment, worked at Subway and enrolled in community college. Jude struggled to balance all this with his mental health. He ended up coming back to Boise at the end of December 2023. He lived with his sister Emma for a couple of months and worked 2 jobs. He traveled to Las Vegas and came back and ultimately decided to undergo rehab for his chemical addiction. Jude was committed to his sobriety and participated in an outpatient intensive therapy group for a couple of months before moving back to Las Vegas. Sadly, Jude passed away on November 8, 2024. He had so much to offer this world, but he couldnt stay. His family is grieving the loss of such a beautiful soul. He will be missed and loved forever. Nicole Balderson (Judes Mom)