Inez C. Blanchard

She was born in Davis, South Dakota, January 09, 1922, the daughter of Marcus and Thea (Pederson) Blake, and grew up in Centerville, South Dakota with her eight brothers and sisters.

After high school, she was briefly employed as a governess for a family in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but moved west to San Francisco, California in 1941 where she worked for the Red Cross for more than 10 years. She later worked in Keene, beginning in 1968 at the National Grange Mutual Insurance Company, retiring in 1982.

On September 4, 1952, she married Ronald T. Blanchard in a ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada and they honeymooned at the Grand Canyon. Inez and Ronald were married for 53 years until his passing in January, 2006.

She was a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She had a tremendous, dry sense of humor and appreciated having fun and laughter. She came from a very musical family and she could play the piano, accordion, and ukulele by ear. She was extremely proud of her Norwegian heritage. She provided magnificent day care for her grandchildren throughout their pre-school years and enjoyed nothing more than the time she spent reading to, playing, and nurturing them. They were most fortunate to have such a special relationship with such a special woman.

She is survived by her daughter, Constance Walsh and her husband, Robert, of Keene; and three grandchildren, Erika Baillargeon of Portland, Oregon, Robert Walsh, III, of Keene, and Brenna Newell of Marlborough. She was predeceased by all of her siblings and her husband.

A funeral service will be held Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 11:00 AM in the Foley Funeral Home, 49 Court Street, Keene. Rev. Nancy Wood will officiate. Burial will follow in the Monadnock View Cemetery, Park Avenue, Keene. Family and friends are invited to call on Tuesday evening from 6:00 to 8:00PM at the Foley Funeral Home.

For those who wish, donations may be made in Mrs. Blanchard’s memory to a charity of one’s choice.