Blanche G. Cantrell

Blanche G. Cantrell died mid-afternoon on August 21 at Temecula Valley Hospital of a severe heart attack suffered early that morning. Blanche was born the second of five children to John J. and Margaret (Dulong) Griffin in 1920 in Reading, Mass.

After graduating high school, Blanche met her future husband Dennis while he was participating in the Marine Corps rifle and pistol matches, preparatory to the national matches at Camp Perry, Ohio. Not wanting to give her real name to a stranger when they first met, Blanche told him her name was 'Mickey'. It turned out the name stuck and it was as Mickey that she was known to friends and relatives on the West Coast where she and Dennis settled and finished raising their family.

Being the wife of a Marine, Blanche had to re-establish her household many times and shepherd her daughter Denese and her son Martin into their new acquaintances and environments. She was glad at last to have her own home, on Mission Road in Fallbrook, when Dennis retired. They both went on to other careers, she, after her children left home, was a nursery school teacher on Camp Pendleton for 15 years. Blanche volunteered at St. Peter's Church in various capacities and was a volunteer at the St. Vincent DePaul thrift shop for 10 years.

Blanche is survived by her son and daughter; her brothers Bob and John; sister-in-law LeiEllen; countless nieces and nephews and several grandchildren.

Blanche rued the loss of friends and relatives as she got older because she outlived almost all of them. But in the years she was confined to her apartment, she was grateful for the kind help she received from her daughter, Denese, in sustaining her and from the Sheriff's senior volunteers for checking up on her and the Foundation for Senior Care whose volunteers gave her needed transportation.

Services for Blanche Cantrell will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 13 at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Parish in Fallbrook. Internment will be at Fort Rosecrans Cemetery at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, October 14.

Instead of flowers, donations in Blanche's name may be made to the Foundation for Senior Care, P.O. Box 2155, Fallbrook, CA 92088

so that other seniors in need can get around.