Obituary of Joseph Benjamin Blanchard

Age 89, of Windsor, formerly of Ellershouse, passed away at Camp Hill Veteran’s Memorial Building, QEII, in Halifax on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 with family by his side. Born in Milford, Hants County, March 30, 1926, he was the eldest child of S. Shelburne and Florence (MacDonald) Blanchard. In the early thirties he and his family moved to Ellershouse. Joe went to school in Ellershouse and Windsor Academy. In 1943 he joined the Canadian Army as a Boy Soldier. When he became of legal age he joined the Army’s Royal Canadian Regiment and saw service in Canada and was discharged in the early 1950s. After a few years on Civvy Street he rejoined the army with RCEME for another six years, being discharged in 1961. Upon discharge, he worked for various companies, finally retiring from Ontario Hydro Nuclear Plant at Bruce Point, Ontario. After the passing of his first wife Lorraine (Watts), in 1992, he moved back to Nova Scotia. He later married Clara (Babineau) Legere and they resided in Windsor. Joe was a great storyteller and could often be found at neighbour Harry Falkenham’s, as they tried to outdo each other. Joe is survived by his wife, Clara; daughter, Janice (Grant) Banks, Sarnia, Ontario; sons, Cecil (Liz) Blanchard, and Gerald (Lori) Blanchard, all of Kincardine, Ontario; grandchildren, Alison (Roy) Reiger, Paul Banks, Danielle (Ralph) Newman, Courtney Blanchard, Michael J.J. Blanchard; one great-grandchild, Brooke; sister, Mary Norman, Morden; brothers, David (Gloria), Ellershouse; Chuck (Dorothy), Louisbourg; sisters-in-law, Ruby Blanchard, Dykeland Lodge, Windsor; Beverley (Harold) Fletcher and Carol Blanchard, Ellershouse; many nieces and nephews; stepchildren, Karen, Stephen, Timothy, Daniel, Rosemary, Linda and Andrew. Besides his parents, Joe was predeceased by first wife, Lorraine; sister, Julia in infancy; and brothers, Ranald in infancy, George, Norman and Robbie. The family would like to thank the staff at Camp Hill for their care. Arrangements have been entrusted to DeMont Family Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 419 Albert St., PO Box 981, Windsor, B0N 2T0 (902-798-8317), where the family will receive visitors from 1-2 p.m., Friday, September 18, followed immediately by a funeral service at 2 p.m. in DeMont Family Funeral Home Chapel, Rev. Krista Anderson officiating. Interment will take place in Oakhill Cemetery, Ellershouse. A reception will follow at the Ellershouse Community Hall. Family flowers only, by request. Donations in memory of Joseph may be made to The Poppy Fund of the Royal Canadian Legion, the Heart and Stroke Foundation or to a charity of one's choice. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family at the funeral home address or by visiting: www.demontfamilyfuneralhome.ca