Resident of Santa Cruz

Mary Blanchard could knock your socks off! Whether nine or ninety-five, she lit up a room with her winsome smile and snappy wit. Always sociable, with a deep commitment to service, she used her fulsome talents to benefit her community.

Mary Elizabeth Hardy was born in Baxter Springs, Kansas in 1929, the year of the Great Depression and the decade which would forever define her generation. Her parents, midwesterners of faith, worked hard to live what would now be termed “off grid” using oil lamps in the evenings and raising their own food. Mary was brought up to be fiercely independent but caring of those less fortunate. There was always a free meal for any Dust Bowl ‘Joe’ who happened by the Hardy kitchen located not that far from the tracks of the KO&G Railway.

In those days, flour came in 50 lb cotton sacks that were printed with colorful patterns. Folks saved this fabric and ingeniously stitched clothing for their children. Mary had such childhood dresses and was surrounded by women who had a talent for thrift and design. Perhaps this was the artistic heritage bequeathed to Mary who used these skills in her own designs of hearth and home later in her domestic life.

Enterprise and determination were qualities ingrained in Mary. She began working in Joplin’s Woolworth in sixth grade. Fifty years later when her pocketbook was stolen on W42nd Street, she did not lament the loss of the cash, only that her original Social Security card, which she had carried since the tender age of twelve, was gone for good. Mary worked throughout her youth and college years, ever honing her business skills. Were it not for her circumstances and the decade of her birth, Mary would most certainly have been the CEO of a business of her own.

Mary met Harry Blanchard at Kansas State University. She was the jitterbugging, cheerleading, wise cracking beauty playing opposite his more stoic, shy, methodical personality. It was a match and they were married in 1952. She nurtured their growing family and taught school while Harry finished his studies and began his veterinary practice.

After moving to California in 1957, Mary and Harry lived in San Jose and Santa Cruz raising their four children. Encouraging Harry in his career, Mary became his business partner, managing aspects of his practice. Her drive and organizational skills saw them through clinic renovations, architectural decisions and investment strategies.

Her determination and devotion was of great help to her children who were given advantages that she never had. Family time, excursions, church, vacations, homework were all part of her incredible dedication to a busy home life. Mary’s many friends, neighbors and eventually grandchildren enjoyed her fun loving nature.

It was following the untimely death of their young daughter in a horseback riding accident that Mary redoubled her efforts of service to the community. The Blanchards sponsored and dug in with shovel and spade, planting trees and building an outdoor science classroom at Schallenberger Elementary in memory of their daughter. The classroom is used to this day and the campus is shaded by trees planted over fifty years ago. Mary threw herself into philanthropic work. President of this and that, expert fundraiser and effervescent hostess, she focused her energies on children’s charities, the arts and education.

Always excited about tomorrow’s prospects, Mary found joy in good company, music, a game of dominoes and in the quiet tending of her rose garden. Even in her last days, guests in Mary’s home were entertained by her witty comebacks and gracious personality. And if a jazzy tune happened to be playing, Mary would get up and dance!

In addition to Harry, her husband of 72 years, Mary is survived by son John, daughters Roxanne (Bill Westfield) and Emily (Josh Bentley), grandchildren Kaitlin, Olivia and William Bentley, and a growing extended family. She is predeceased by daughter Meredith Ann, her parents Clifford Hardy and Mabel Phillips Hardy, brothers Glenn and Clifford Hardy, and sister Juanita Jopp.

Services will be held at 2:00pm on February 8, 2025 at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 420 Melrose Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 831-423-8995

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to:

B.O.K Ranch, a riding academy for individuals with special needs. Mary would often visit the ranch for a tour with her granddaughter who is a stable girl at BOK.

B.O.K. RANCH, PO Box 620702 Woodside, CA 94062 http://www.bokranch.org