DELAWARE – Barbara J. Blanchard, 83 of Delaware, passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, surrounded by the love of her family at home. She was born on Oct. 27, 1937, in Mount Vernon, to the late Edgil and Ruth (Shaw) Ryan.
Barbara married Lawrence “Larry” Blanchard in 1958. After a brief time in California, they operated a crop farm in Danville, Ohio. She said that a farmer’s wife was not a life she would have chosen, but a life she was blessed to be given. She owned and operated her own flower shop as well. After Larry passed away in 1991, she remained on the farm for a short while. She went on to work for Dale’s Cardinal Market, then retired from Bob Evans’ Restaurant where she had served as a hostess.
Barbara was a woman of strong faith and was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church in Delaware. She was a 4-H leader, a hospice volunteer, a member of the Seed Sowers Garden Club and a local book club. Barbara loved books, flowers, friends and especially her family.
Left to cherish Barbara’s memory are her children, Anita (Phil) Cochran, Diana Fisher, Dan Blanchard, Peggy (Alex) Jamieson, Mary Beth (Tim) Cowans, Paula (Jim) Bevins, Rebecca (Aric) Tucker and Jeffrey (Lori) Blanchard; 20 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; brother, Robert Ryan; sisters, Martha (Bernard) Blanchard and Patricia “Susie” Mendez; and many other relatives and friends.
In addition to her parents, Barbara was preceded in death by her husband, Larry Blanchard; brothers, Paul, Ernie, John and Bill Ryan; sisters, Maxine Gilpin and Mary Lou Ryan; grandson, Daniel Blanchard; son-in-law, Bill Fisher; and brother-in-law, Luis Mendez.
The family will receive friends on Monday, Nov. 30, from 5-7 p.m. at Snyder-Rodman Funeral Center, 101 Valleyside Dr., Delaware. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at noon at St. Mary Catholic Church, 82 E. William St., Delaware; and will be livestreamed by logging into www.stmarylivestream.com. Burial will take place at St. Luke Cemetery in Danville.
Donations in Barbara’s memory may be made to St. Mary Catholic Church in Delaware or to Capital City Hospice.
To leave a message of condolence to Barbara’s family, or to share a special memory, please visit snyderfuneralhomes.com.
