Guy E. Blankenship

Guy Ervin Blankenship passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 8th 2013 in Denver, Colorado after a long battle with various illnesses. He was born on February 5th 1947 in Lake Jackson, Texas to the proud parents of Harold Blankenship and Rosemary Jester. In 1949 Hal moved Guy and his younger brother Gary to Denver after the death of his young wife, to be close to family. Growing up in Denver, Guy would excel as an athlete, earning both a football and track scholarship to Northeastern Junior College. Ranking 9th in the nation at Division II in the shot put, he then went to Colorado University Boulder where he double majored in English Literature and Physical Education. In 1971 Guy packed up his young wife, 2 coyotes, 3 cats and drove north to Fairbanks, Alaska to accept a teaching position and fulfill his dream of living in the arctic and mushing dogs. Guy was a man of rare character, where the only attribute that rivaled his physical strength and work ethic was his intelligence. Everything Guy set his mind on, he excelled out. While teaching at Two Rivers Elementary he ( Mr. B.) developed such a competitive cross-country ski program that the trails there are still dedicated to Mr. B. In dog mushing he was a 3 time North American Freight Race Champion, president of Alaska Dog Mushers Association, manager of the Dog Mushers Hall, and 7 time finisher of the Iditarod. All 7 of his finishes were in the top 20, including several 7th place finishes. He was also a skilled craftsman and worked as a construction superintendent for Baron Construction overseeing multi-million dollar contracts. Eventually Guy would move back to Denver to work as a self-employed craftsman. Guy lived his life to the fullest, with the rare courage to pursue his dreams. He was strong, tough, stubborn, driven, goal-orientated, passionate and intelligent. He was a man that pushed others to work harder, to be better. Rare is the man that would recite Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in Middle English yet teach his son how to swing a hammer and the proper words to say if the hammer should strike a thumb. You will be missed ,Pa. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, James and Ethel Hague; father and stepmother Harold and Shirley Blankenship; and brother Gary Blankenship. He is remembered by his 2 sons: Nathan and Christian Blankenship; his sister Glenda Blankenship and countless others whose life was touched by this extraordinary man. Visit www.ahlbergfuneralchapel.com to share condolences.