DOWNEY - Elizabeth Lucille Blankenship, a longtime Downey resident, passed away Dec. 23 at Downey Regional Medical Center surrounded by family.Blankenship was born in Bell on Oct. 24, 1926. Her family moved to Downey and she attended Downey High School, where she was a member of the first graduating class. It was at Downey High that she met her future husband, Buster. They married in April of 1946 and raised a family of three girls, Karyn, Judy and Barbara, and a son named Thomas. Blankenship did not work outside the home but was a full-time mother and housewife. In her younger years, she filled time by taking art and sewing classes. She was also active with a social group of women who played bunco every month for nearly 40 years. She had to stop two years ago due to health problems. She is survived by her sister, Joyce; brother, Stephen; daughters, Karyn, Judy and Barbara; son, Thomas; 12 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. She was predeceased by her husband, Buster, in 2007.

********** Published: January 8, 2010 - Volume 8 - Issue 38