William R. Blanchard of Vernon, N.J., passed away on Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. He was 87.
He was born in Franklin, N.J., on May 23, 1933, to the late Frederick and Julia (Rapole) Blanchard, Bill lived most of his life in the Franklin-Hamburg area, retiring to Melbourne Beach, Fla., in 1998. He moved back to N.J., in 2019.
Bill was a proud U.S. Air Force Veteran who served during the Korean Conflict.
Bill was predeceased by his wife, Ginny, in May 2019. He is survived by his sons, Michael and his wife, Nancy of Vernon, Thomas and his fiancé, Lynn Fitzpatrick, of Calabash, N.C.; his grandchildren, Cody Blanchard, Ashley McInerney and her husband, Michael, Kimberly Wawzyanick and her husband, Bernie, Brittany Hoag and her husband, David, Kelsey Blanchard and her fiancé ,Timothy Payton; great-grandchildren, Colt Blanchard, Adaline and Eli McInerney, Nathan Wawzyanick and Brayden and Julia Hoag; brother, Ted Blanchard and his wife, Iva, of North Carolina; and sister-in-law, Janet Bayles; along with nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be held at the Northern New Jersey Veterans Cemetery in Sparta, N.J., on Friday, Feb. 19, at 2:30 p.m.