Barbara I. Blankenship

Barbara was born Aug. 3, 1936, to the late Mrytle and Jesse Bragg in Sandstone, W Va. She married her husband, William H Blankenship, in 1952 in Gauley Bridge, WVa., where the two of them began their life together.

The couple made their move to Kinzua, Pa., in 1959, then to Ludlow, where they finished raising their large family of 16 children.

Barbara and Bill opened their home to many foster children in the area, loving and caring for them like they were their own. After raising 15 children, the couple adopted one of their foster children, Ryan at eight months. When Barbara wasn’t caring for her family and foster children, she loved growing flowers, going to yard sales and was always surrounded by her pets.

In addition to her husband and her parents, Barbara was preceded in death by her daughter, Beverly (Ralph) Haight of Kane; grandson, Micheal Bush; granddaughter, Heather Barton; brother, Dooney Bragg; and three great- grandchildren.

Surviving children include Drema Knepp of Kane, Bill (Renee) Blankenship of Johnsonburg, Carolyn (John) Bush of Clarendon, Terry Blankenship of Kane, Darrell (Nancy) Blankenship of Kane, Janet (Bryce) Utt of Columbus, Ohio, Larry (Jody) Blankenship of Kane, Barbara (Ryszard) Bialach of New Castle, Del, Dwayne (Juanita) Blankenship of Kane, Roger (Shelia) Blankenship of Jackson, Tenn, Timothy (Jennifer) Blankenship of Kane, Steven Blankenship of Columbus, Ohio, Dennis (Connie) Blankenship of Ludlow, Tammy Mocney, Texas and Ryan Blankenship of Bradford.

Surviving grandchildren include Jolene Gabrielli, Scott Barton, Hope Campbell, Jesse Blankenship, Cassie Rockwell, Ashley Polinski, Kerri Schaffer, Rebecca Lucas, Kevin Bush, JJ Bush, Heidi Blankenship, Lindsey Hoft, Jennifer Mattocks, Stephanie Wormsley, Amanda Mattocks, Chelle Blankenship, Caleb Utt, Zachariah Utt, David Blankenship, Matthew Blankenship, Corissa Coulehan, Cody Blankenship, Shyanne Blankenship, Noah Blankenship, Mackenzie Blankenship, Chad Blankenship, Tasha Denton, Nathanael Blankenship, Chase Blankenship, Joshua LaBranche, Shawna LaBranche, Tyler Blankenship, Brianna Blankenship, Summer Blankenship, Jonathan Blankenship, Marissa Blankenship and Chase Blankenship; and 44 great-grandchildren.

Barbara is also survived by her brother. James Bragg, in West Virginia; sister, Janie Pentheny in Ohio; and several nieces and nephews.

Friends will be received at the Ronald McDonald II Funeral Home, Inc. Tuesday from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Funeral services will be held at the funeral home Wednesday, July 14, 2021, at 1 p.m., with the Rev. Bryce Utt, a son-in-law and pastor of the Parsons Avenue Church of God in Columbus, Ohio, and the Rev. John Henry Bush, grandson and pastor of the Kane Free Methodist Church officiating. Burial will be in Gibbs Hill Cemetery, Ludlow.

Memorials if desired may be made to the McKean County SPCA or a charity of the donor’s choice.