Winifred Blatchford

Winifred Anne (Marich) Blatchford 06/15/1937 – 07/11/2025 passed away peacefully with her children by her side on July 11, 2025, in Washington, DC. Winnie was born on June 15, 1937, in San Pedro, CA. After graduating from San Pedro High School, Winnie earned a scholarship to UCLA and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish. Winnie then joined Accion International, an organization founded by fellow UCLA graduate Joseph Blatchford in 1961 that placed volunteers in Venezuela to help local communities build schools, sanitations systems, and health centers. After four years, Joe offered Winnie a position with Accion’s new program in Brazil. Joe and Winnie moved to Rio, where they worked all day, danced all night on the beaches and discotheques, and fell in love. They married in 1967, raised a family, and enjoyed 53 years of love and partnership.

Winnie was predeceased by her beloved husband Joe, who passed away in 2020; her parents, Anna Victoria (Roje) Marich and Vincent Nicholas Marich; father-in-law George Blatchford; mother-in-law Zoe Blatchford; step-mother-in-law Anne Blatchford; sisters Norma March and Antoinette Marich; brother Vincent Marich; aunts Olga (Roje) Marinkovich and Francis (Roje) Miller; uncle Boris Roje; cousins Marion Nichols, Frank Roje, and Ronald Marinkovich; and cousins Irce and Dasa Marich of Split, Croatia. Survivors include her daughters Andrea and Antonia; son Nicholas and granddaughter Elliette Ann Blatchford; Anwar McQueen (Nanea McGuigan) and Zoe Kaulana McQueen; cousins Vincent Marinkovich, Antoinette (Roje) Lung, and Adrienne (Miller) Zmija; sisters-in-law Beatrice Ballance and Barbara Winslow; niece Anne Winslow; nephews Joseph Winslow, James Winslow, and Justine Mutone; and numerous beloved cousins and friends in California, Washington, DC, and beyond.

A service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, August 11, 2025, at Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 877 W. 7th St., San Pedro, CA; followed by a reception at the Dalmatian-American Club, 1639 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro, CA. In lieu of flowers the family invites donations to: New Heights Youth Inc. (founded by Nicholas Blatchford) https://www.newheightsnyc.org/donate and TEAM Inc. (founded by Anwar McQueen) https://www.weareteaminc.org/donate.