Nancy Patricia Blanchard

It is with great sadness we announce the passing of our Matriarch, Nancy Patricia (Dick) Blanchard on January 1, 2021 at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, with her family by her side.

Nancy was born on November 8, 1946, in Fort William, Ontario to William and Louise Dick. She was raised first in Macdiarmid, Ontario where her father, a WWII self-enlisted military veteran, was involved in the commercial fisheries. For a short time of Nancy's childhood, she was raised in St. Joseph Residential School which she remembers mostly with fond memories. At age 6 the family moved to Port Coldwell, Ontario where her father dutifully worked fisheries, highways, and then railroad. Her mother, Louise was a fiery free-spirited woman who possessed an artful hand, and powerful intuition. Nancy was educated in the village school of Port Coldwell. Nancy describes these times as a storybook setting where she formed many cherished lifelong friendships. Born into a very fast-growing family, her natural instinct at a very young age was to step up and help care for her siblings. The eye of this young beautiful woman was forever charmed when she saw her one true love, Paul Blanchard. They married on July 28, 1962, and very soon after started their own family. In 1964 they moved further down the Northshore to Marathon, Ontario. It was here amongst the natural resource industry where Nancy found a safe harbour, another storybook setting where she could raise her own family. After many years of sole devotion to her husband and children, she needed to find her own. She began working at the mill in 1974 as a cleaner. As years went by she then became employed with the Town of Marathon in 1985 as Cleaning Staff Supervisor. After over 25 years of hard work and dedication, she retired in 2011.

Nancy was very passionate about many things in life but above all her family was what mattered most. Her heart was big and filled with much love to give but you could see the love she had for her grand/great grandchildren was beyond a special kind of love.

In the chapters of her life, she enjoyed spending time with family and friends at Wabikoba Lake at the family camp she and Paul built over 40 years ago. She loved anything that grew from the ground and cared for too many plants to count in her home. She loved her birds in the backyard that she faithfully guarded and cared for, along with the couple squirrels too. Nancy always made sure “her animals'' were fed, bringing leftovers to them in a special spot in town and even along the camp road. She was often found down at Pebble Beach during sunset capturing its beauty on camera and often shared with all to see on Facebook. She was a lover of music and could always strum a song on the guitar and she had a voice to love but not too many people would have heard her.

Nancy loved spending time with her friends and loved more than anything to have fun! Whether it was going out for food, playing games around the table, or even sneaking off to Walmart (AKA Casino) when in Thunder Bay. Nancy always loved family get-togethers and she made sure no one went hungry; her cooking will be missed by all. I also have to mention Facebook which kept her connected with so many friends and family every day! Take Facebook as almost a journal of everything she loved, or made her cry or laugh.

Nancy is survived by her husband Paul Blanchard; children Tammy Osmond (Rob), Arnold Blanchard (Linda) and Leon Blanchard; grandchildren, Trista, Melanie, Emily, Jada, Mary-Jane and MaeLynn; great grandchildren Brayden, Caylee, Aria and Colt. Her furry loving Miley, Daisy and London will also miss her dearly. Also left to mourn are her brothers, Leonard Dick (Ann), Edgar Dick (Marlene), Bobby Dick (Gayle); sisters MaryJane Scholonkowsky (John) and Valerie Levesque. Nancy is also remembered by many nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family.

Predeceased by her father, William Dick; mother, Louise Dick; daughter, Cathy Blanchard; sister, Jeanette Hamilton; brother, Albert Dick and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

In light of the current restrictions, we will celebrate the life of Nancy at a later date. In lieu of flowers, if you wish, donations may be made in her honour to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or any organization of your choice to save the birds and the trees.