Obituary of Alvin Charles Blanch

Alvin C. Blanch was born July 19th 1929 in Portland Oregon. He passed away August 4th 2008 in Gig Harbor WA. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Creadith Blanch of Spanaway WA, his son Michael (wife Kathy) of Spokane WA, son Charles Blanch of Fircrest WA, daughter Juliana Darneille (husband Al) of Fife WA, his 9 Grandchildren, Mark Roff, Michelle Fleckenstein, Jeff Roff, Carissa Blanch, KC Blanch, Lindsey Blanch, Sam Reed and Carly Crossley and his 17 Great Grandchildren, Conner, Taylor, Jordan, Kevin, Rochelle, Nick, Sonya, Joey, Annie, Austin, Marcus, Kamryn, Mark, Brian, Scott, Gabriel, and Geoanna. Alvin was a resident of Tacoma for over 72 yrs. He attended both Lincoln and Stadium High School and graduated from Stadium in 1947. When Alvin was 17 years old he purchased his first car, a 1936 Chevrolet which began a lifetime passion of owning and restoring collectible cars. Alvin bought and sold hundreds of cars during his lifetime. His collection was especially focused on 60’s era Ford Mustangs. Between 1950 and 1953 Alvin served in the United States Marine Corps. He is a veteran of the Korean Conflict. In 1948 Alvin was hired by the Milwaukee Railroad. During his tenure there he held the positions of Steamfitter and Sheet Metal Worker. Through hard work and dedication he attained the level the Assistant Chief Carpenter of the Bridges and Building Department, and held that position until the Milwaukee closed in 1989. He was a loyal employee of the Milwaukee Railroad for over 38 years. For the second phase of Alvin’s working career, he was the Owner/Operator of ACB Maintenance a building maintenance company. He maintained a workshop at The Mueller Harkins Building in downtown Tacoma for 10 years until he retired. Alvin and his wife Creadith lived in several unique homes throughout the Tacoma Area. Another passion of Alvin’s was buying and restoring homes. Alvin was a skilled carpenter and plumber as well as a master gardener. Following his retirement Alvin and Creadith traveled extensively in their motor home which included many trips to Reno, Nevada and the Oregon coast. Alvin won a 75000.00 jackpot at the EldoradoClub in Reno in 1992. The onset of Alzheimer’s disease resulted in Alvin spending his last year and a half in nursing homes. Alvin died at ManorCare of Gig harbor WA as a result of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. Memorial Services are to be held 10:30am, Friday August 15th at Tahoma National Cemetery, 18600 SE 240th Street, Covington WA 98042 Arrangements by Edwards Memorial Center, 253-566-1008