Dena Blanchard

Dena Blanchard (Walters), of Boxborough, MA, formerly of Sudbury, MA, passed away suddenly on February 4, 2026. Born in Detroit on December 14, 1955, and raised in Oak Park, MI with her loving parents Beryle and Blanche Walters and her siblings Bradford, Jan, and Ami Jo.

Dena came to Boston in 1981 and worked at Mass General Hospital as an Operating Room Nurse until the time of her daughter, Adelle’s, birth in 1988. Dena was a most dedicated and loving mother to both her daughters, Adelle Alexandra and Emma Alexandra for over a decade until returning to the Operating Room to work as a Nurse at Emerson Hospital in Concord, MA. She spent over 30 years dedicating her life to healing and caring for others as a nurse and left an indelible mark on patients and medical professional alike using her sense of humor as well as her sense of humanity; she treated every patient like a close friend.

If Dena wished to be known for anything it would be for her passion, excitement, and love for her grandchildren, Lincoln Walter and Emerson Joseph, the sons of her only remaining daughter, Adelle and son-in-law Robert Pessolano of Lancaster, MA.

In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband Paul Blanchard, her daughter Emma Franchek, and her sister Jan Faultersack.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Dena’s memory to Emma’s House of the Megan House Foundation, a residence program for young women continuing their recovery after substance abuse treatment. https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E343561&id=1