Melvin W. Blankenship

BLANKENSHIP, Melvin W., 79, of Springfield, Ohio passed away on Wednesday, December 20, 2023 in Riverside Methodist Hospital of heart failure.  Melvin was born on March 23, 1944 in Urbana, Ohio the son of the late Carl and Mildred (Brunotte) Blankenship.  The middle child of seven, he was the last to be born at home and being characteristically impatient was delivered by his father.  He is preceded in death by his parents, sisters, Barbara Runkle and Karen Wagner, and brother, Michael Blankenship.  He is survived by his brother, Roger (Julie) Blankenship, two sisters, Virginia Fell and Marilyn (Jerry) Clark, sister-in-law, Phyllis Blankenship and brother-in-law Phil Wagner.  Melvin graduated in 1962 from Northeastern High School where he played football and was a lifelong fan of all sporting events, especially The Ohio State University football.  He served our nation in the Army National Guard and retired from Navistar after 53 years of service.  He married his wife of 56 years, Jeanne (Glaser) Blankenship in October of 1967.  They raised four children, Tara (Fr. Gregory) Georgiou, Brion (Amanda) Blankenship, Gayle (Mike) Black and Sharon (Col. Matthew) Clementz.  He enjoyed and loved his family deeply, including his eight grandchildren, Nicholas, Sophia and Christina Georgiou, Brandon and Ashley Blankenship, Austin Black and Katie and Ben Clementz.  He was a hands-on person who preferred to fix things himself and generous to others, the kind of person to pull over and help a motorist in need.  He enjoyed working in the yard, a self-taught botanist and always had a garden.  He enjoyed history and national parks and was a decade long subscriber to National Geographic.  He had a wealth of knowledge on almost any topic and his advice and counsel will be greatly missed by his family.  A gathering of family and friends will be held from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on Wednesday, December 27 in the CONROY FUNERAL HOME.  A brief prayer service will follow the visitation.  Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests considering a donation in Melvin's honor to one of the following charities:  American Heart Association, National Park Foundation, PBS, or Red Cross Blood Donation