Douglas Paul Blanchard

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Douglas Paul Blanchard was born February 22, 1945, to Ruth and Kenneth Blanchard in a little town in southern Minnesota. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Merideth Sperling, and his brother, David. He is survived by his wife, Judith; son, Andrew, and his wife, Darby, of Winter Garden, Florida; daughter, Sara Petchey, and her husband, Owen, of Zurich, Switzerland; and four grandchildren, Ellie and Noah Blanchard and Heath and Drew Petchey. Doug died on May 27th from complications after surgery for repair of a broken hip.

Doug was a lifelong lover of science and graduated with a BA in chemistry from St. Olaf College. He then went on to earn a PhD in geochemistry at the University of Wisconsin with a break in the middle of his studies to answer the call to serve our country when he was drafted during the years of the Vietnam War. In 1973, he accepted a position at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas to continue his research on moon rocks and meteorites, later becoming the curator of the lunar facility and then the head of the science division. After serving the country as a civil servant for 35 years, Doug retired.

Doug was an avid athlete, running track and playing football in high school and college. He later ran marathons, coached his kids' soccer teams, and spent time maintaining and sometimes even sailing a small sailboat. He poured his heart into staying healthy as long as possible through "Rock Steady Boxing," a rehab program designed for people with Parkinson's disease and biking the Winter Garden trail.

During his retirement years, Doug volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, building homes each Thursday and Saturday and serving on the board of directors. He was elected to serve on the city council of Taylor Lake Village, Texas for two terms. He also continued to sing in the choir at Clear Lake Presbyterian Church, a place where he had earlier served on the church session and taught Sunday school with Judith.

Throughout their 75 years of marriage, Doug and Judith focused on spending time with their family and serving their community. Doug led a full and meaningful life. We will all miss him terribly but cherish our memories and life lessons from this selfless man, husband, father, and grandfather.