Richard E. Blanchard

Richard E. Blanchard, 92, passed away on November 17, 2018. Richard Blanchard lived in Baltimore all his life. Grew up on Kirk Avenue in Baltimore before moving to Hamilton in the late 1940s after his marriage to Viola Blanchard, nee Villmar. Was one of the original "Hamilton Gang," named for the young men and women who hung out at the Hamilton Rec and other spots such as the Arundel ice cream parlor and the Arcade movies in the northeast Baltimore neighborhood. He sang in the prestigious boy choir at Grace and St. Peter Episcopal Church in Mount Vernon with his elder brother Walter. In 1943 graduate of the old Polytechnic Institute on North Avenue.

Mr. Blanchard Worked at Crown, Cork and Seal in Baltimore after high school and joined his father-in-law's wholesale toy and novelty company, Harry P. Cann & Bros., in1949, where he was initially a salesman for the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware, working his way up to vice president and then president of the company. Harry P. Cann's was originally on Redwood Street in downtown Baltimore and then moved to 25th St. in northeast Baltimore, next to the old Kirk Silver factory. "Dad and Gramps would sell toys at a discount to the Kirk's people and the Kirks would give them a deal on silver," said his daughter Jayne Blanchard. Harry P. Cann's closed in the late 1970s, due to a changing wholesale toy market.

In 1971, Dad bought the Rehoboth 5 &10 stores from one of his customers, who decided to retire. Along with his business partner and brother in law, Phil Palmere, wife Viola and sister in law Ruth Palmere, they ran the Boardwalk 5 &10 and two other locations on Rehoboth Avenue for 38 years, hosting generations of shoppers looking for hermit crabs, light sticks, boogie boards and other beachside treasures. "Dad's greatest pleasure was seeing kids come in to the Boardwalk 5 &10 store to buy pinwheels or kites, and years later bring their children, and then their children's children," said Jayne Blanchard.

In 2008, they sold the Boardwalk 5 &10, Dad retiring at the age of 82 and partner Ruth Palmere (Phil Palmere and Viola Blanchard died in 1994) at age 85. "After retiring, Dad missed seeing customers and thought about becoming a greeter at Wal-Mart," noted his daughter. "We joked that if he took the job, the line of customers would extend all the way across Route 1 in Rehoboth, since Dad would have to talk to every person coming through the door."

Aside from the beach, his family and friends (the Hamilton Gang meets the first Thursday of the month at a local restaurant to this day) Dad loved the Baltimore Colts (season ticketholder from beginning to end), the Orioles, the ballet, theater and jazz music, particularly Stan Kenton, Hank Levy and Woody Herman. He also raised and showed champion English Bulldogs and enjoyed making soup from scratch-made broth, especially his famous lentil soup and minestrone.

Dad was the beloved husband of the late Viola Blanchard; loving father of Joyce A. Mann and her husband Don, and Jayne M. Blanchard; Cherished grandfather of Anthony Parker; dear brother of Alice Charnasky, and preceded in death by 4 sisters and 5 brothers; Beloved companion of Els Wunder; Also survived by nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends at the Lemmon Funeral Home of Dulaney Valley, Inc., 10 W. Padonia Road (at York Road), Timonium, Maryland 21093 on Wednesday, November 28, 2018 from 2:00 pm to

4:00 pm and 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. A Memorial Service will be celebrated in Sherwood Episcopal Church, 5 Sherwood Road, Cockeysville, Maryland 21030 on Thursday, November 29, 2018 at

11:00 am.

Interment Private.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be directed in Richard’s name to Scleroderma Foundation, 300 Rosewood Drive, Suite 105, Danvers, Massachusetts 01923 and/or Gilchrist Services, 11311 McCormick Road, Suite 350, Hunt Valley, Maryland 21031.

A Guest Book is available at www.lemmonfuneralhome.com