Blanchard, Cliff

Cliff Blanchard, 65, died Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, at the Keystone Care Center in Keystone following an extended illness. Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at Salem United Methodist Church in Van Horne with Pastor Norman Bennett officiating. Interment will be held at Holy Cross Cemetery, near Keystone with graveside military rites conducted by the Merkel-Bockholt American Legion Post of Keystone. Visitation will be held at Phillips Funeral Home in Keystone from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Cliff was born May 19, 1946, at Hopkinton, to Howard and Frances (Ozburn) Blanchard and graduated from Benton Community High School. He served his nation in the U, S, Army during Vietnam. He was a member of the Merkel-Bockholt American Legion Post in Keystone.

On May 5, 1978, he was united in marriage to Doreen Gloede at the Little Brown Church in Nashua.

He was a semi-truck driver and worked for area farmers and businesses. Cliff enjoyed hunting, fishing and spending time with his grandkids.

Cliff is survived by his wife, Doreen of Keystone; his son, Nick (Jillian Turkal) Blanchard of Cedar Rapids, and Austin Blanchard of Aurora, Colo.; his grandchildren, Isiah and Reese Blanchard and Noah Black; and his sisters, Karen Cohrt of Van Horne, Kathy (Jeff) Anderson of Garwin, and Roberta Bulman of Cedar Rapids.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his son, Jamie Blanchard in 1989; and infant daughter, Dawn Blanchard.

A memorial fund has been established.

Condolences may be left at: .

Published in The Gazette Dec. 18, 2011.