Irene Blankenship's Obituary
Irene Blankenship, daughter of Howard and Mary Emma Westfahl Burns was born, February 12, 1917 in Reno County, Kansas. She departed this life, Friday, January 12, 2007 in Hospice Home Care, Little Rock, Arkansas, at the age of eighty-nine years and eleven months. On July 25, 1945 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, she was united in marriage to Lilburn Filmore Blankenship and to this union, one daughter was born. He preceded her in death on August 7, 1986 after forty-one years of marriage. She was also preceded in death by her parents; two sisters, Wilma McCutchen and Margaret Dyer and four brothers, Wayne, Sylvester, Eugene and Robert Burns. Survivors include her daughter, Bonnie Jean Black and her husband, David, of Little Rock, Arkansas; a grandson, Steven L. Black of Chicago, Illinois; a sister, Mary Evelyn Hennessy of Springfield, Missouri; a brother, Thomas A. Burns, of Ft. Scott, Kansas; a sister-in-law, Dorothy Burns, of Nixa, Missouri and a host of other relatives and friends. Irene was raised in Kansas and graduated from high school in Haven, Kansas. After graduation, she moved to Camdenton, Missouri to work. She later moved to Bath, Maine and worked as a payroll keeper for Bath Iron Works. In 1948, she and her husband moved back to Camdenton, Missouri on Wilkerson Avenue and made their home there, where they lovingly raised their daughter. Her husband served in the U.S. Navy for over twenty years while she worked for many years as a secretary for R.W. Vaught Plumbing and Heating Contractors until the business closed in 1972. Irene made a profession of faith in Christ and was a member of Community Christian Church in Camdenton, where she served as church secretary for several years. She was also a member of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary Unit #193 in Camdenton. She volunteered for many years at the Lamb House. Irene was an enthusiastic fan of Missouri Tiger Basketball and Camdenton Laker Football. She always made time to listen to the games and took them very seriously. In her spare time, she enjoyed yard work and growing beautiful flowers, especially iris. Most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her family and friends. Irene was a loving mother, grandmother, sister and aunt and was a loving neighbor and friend. We celebrate her life and will cherish all the memories she created for her family and friends. Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, January 17, 2007, in the Allee-Holman-Howe Funeral Home, Lebanon. Burial will be in Freedom Cemetery, Montreal. Visitation will be held Wednesday morning from 9:00 a.m. until service time. Memorials to Community Christian Church may be made through the funeral home. Services are under the direction of Allee-Holman-Howe Funeral Home of Camdenton, Missouri.
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