Benny F. Blanchard

Benny F. Blanchard, 89, of Gatesville, peacefully passed from this earth into the arms of our Heavenly Father on Saturday, June 8, 2019, while surrounded by his beloved family.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, June 13, 2019 at Scott's Funeral Home Chapel, with Pastor Matt Richard officiating.  Burial with Masonic Rites will follow at Restland Cemetery in Gatesville.  Visitation will be Wednesday night from 5:00 -7:00 p.m. at the funeral home.

Benny was born in the Leon Junction community to the late John A. and Nora Duncan Blanchard on October 19, 1929, a day that would go down in infamy all over the world when the U.S. stock market crashed.  Benny spoke often of the hard times his family suffered growing up during the Great Depression.  Sometimes food was scarce, and at Christmas they would receive stockings filled with apples, oranges, and nuts, but he never regretted a moment of his life.  He attended school in Leon Junction through 8^th grade, and then attended Gatesville High School, graduating in 1948.  He picked up odd jobs when he could to help his family, and worked for Montgomery Ward, Brown & Root Construction, and then as a civil service employee for the Department of the Army as a construction inspector, retiring after 35 years of service.  He served in the Texas Army National Guard from 1956 until 1961 when his unit was placed on active duty in Fort Polk, Louisiana, during the Cuban Missile Crisis.  He served there for a year, and was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1962.  He was a Deacon and member of Eastwood Baptist Church and Gatesville Masonic Lodge #197 A.F. & A.M.

He met the love of his life, Peggy Jean Hamilton, at a summer tabernacle revival in Flat, Texas, in 1947, when he was 17 and she was 13.  He picked her out from a group of girls, and after that, neither of them ever dated anyone else.  They were married by Brother Ollie Williams in his living room on June 3, 1950, and from that moment on, they were as one.  Benny was a great prankster, and he loved playing jokes or “scaring” his friends and family.  He is fondly remembered for the stories and jokes he could tell about the past. 

Benny was preceded in death by his parents, his father- and mother-in-law, Earl Hamilton and Pearlie Hamilton; two brothers and one sister who died in childhood; and many other family members, friends, and beloved pets.  He especially loved his cats, Pretty Girl, Little Boy, and Tyson; and his dog, Duke.

He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Peggy J. Blanchard; daughter Kathy Reeves and husband, Clay; son, Keith Blanchard and wife, Carolyn; sister Vickie Williams and husband, Dewey; three grandchildren, Jason Reeves, Dwain Blanchard and wife, Brandi, and Kevin Blanchard and wife, Lindsey; and six great-grandchildren, Makaila, Hailey, James, Cole, Hayes, and Avery Blanchard; and many family members and friends.

Pallbearers are his grandsons, Jason Reeves, Dwain Blanchard, and Kevin Blanchard; and Mario Gamez, Steve Hoggett, and David Marris.  Honorary pallbearers are the Deacons of Eastwood Baptist Church.

Memorials may be made to Eastwood Baptist Church, 2518 E. Main Street, Gatesville, TX  76528.