To savor a nut roll, raspberry torte or chocolate layer cake made by Margaret Mosier Balaban was to experience the fine art of baking. Margaret attended college when few women did, and the techniques she learned as a chemistry major seemed to be a catalyst for the precision in her baking. A mother of 13 children who delighted in holiday gatherings, she made as many varieties of Christmas cookies as there were days in Advent. Sadly, Margaret, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., passed away Sunday morning, July 12, 2015, leaving behind her 13 children, 19 grandchildren, eight step-grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and seven step-great-grandchildren. Born May 16, 1925 in Adah, Pa., Margaret grew up in Rices Landing, Pa. She was the first born of Stephen J. and Mary (Baker) Mosier, children of Croatian immigrants who arrived around the turn of the 20th century to work the coal fields of Western Pennsylvania. Margaret attended school with cousins whose fathers worked alongside her Dad in the mines. A devoted student, she graduated Jefferson Morgan High School during World War II. Following graduation, she moved to Cleveland and worked in a factory, grinding gears for airplanes as part of the war effort. Later, she attended Waynesburg College (Pa.). In 1946, Margaret married Thomas R. Balaban, a young lawyer and a recent Army veteran of the European Theatre of World War II. They started their family in Waynesburg, Pa., before moving to Camp Hill in 1959, four years after Mr. Balaban was appointed Pennsylvania's chief deputy insurance commissioner. He went on to have a successful law practice, was active in the state Democratic Party and appointed parliamentarian of the state House of Representatives in 1965. Upon his death in February 1981, Margaret raised six children who were still at home. Margaret enjoyed travel. She visited many states with her husband as well as Nova Scotia, the Caribbean, Venezuela, and Europe. In 1986, she led many of her immediate family on a tour of Croatia where they explored their grandparents' villages. A devoted Catholic, she and her sister Mary Elizabeth Bober of Brecksville, Ohio, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land where they carried the cross through the streets of Jerusalem. She also journeyed to Rome and Africa where she met Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa, respectively. She continued her international travels with her children until late in her life. Margaret was a member of Good Shepherd R.C. Church, Camp Hill, Pa., and Steelton Lodge 13 of the Croatian Fraternal Union of America. She was preceded in death by her husband Tom and brother Stanley. She is survived by her sister Mary Elizabeth Bober (Edward) of Brecksville, Ohio, and children Thomas (Anna) of Richmond, Va., William (Robin) of Camp Hill, Stephen of Camp Hill, Karen of Harrisburg, James of Camp Hill, Mary of Camp Hill, Joseph (Elvio) of Pittsburgh, Elizabeth of Harrisburg, John of Annapolis, Md., Robert (Stacy) of Mechanicsburg, Janet Hasselbarth (Karl) of Westminster, Md., Elaine Scholz (James) of Mechanicsburg and Rita (Danny Gourley, deceased) of Durham, N.C. Margaret was a wonderful sister, wife, aunt, mother, grandmother and friend. She will be greatly missed. Visitation will be held at The Church of the Good Shepherd, 3435 Trindle Road, Camp Hill, Pa., from 2 - 4 p.m. and 6 - 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, 2015. Rosary will be recited at 7:30 p.m. that day. Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday, July 17, at 10 a.m. at The Church of the Good Shepherd. Burial will be held following the mass in Resurrection Cemetery, Harrisburg. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Katherine Drexel Church - directed to the "Caring Community" ministry, 1 Peter Drive, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050.