John William Blanchard April 17, 1943 – June 12, 2024
John William Blanchard was born the middle child of Eliot McClelland Blanchard and Elizabeth Munger Blanchard in Santa Paula, California, the city founded by his great grandfather, Nathan Weston Blanchard, in 1875. He was a bright and sunny child, a golden child, whose freckled nose and big, winning smile endeared him to family and friends wherever he went.
John was good in school and had a real talent for music, playing piano quite well in his youth. He loved rock n’ roll his whole life, even going so far as to invest in musical groups. In high school John excelled as a gymnast and a diver and he loved to fly. He earned his pilot’s license before he got his driver’s license. He and his siblings, Jim and Betsy, had an idyllic small-town childhood which included wonderful summers at Faria Beach – something he made sure his children and grandchildren enjoyed as well.
John attended Stanford University and the University of Southern California from which he received an MBA. A natural salesman, John was a stock broker, a realtor and also sold cars, but his real love was aviation and he successfully sold Cessna aircraft for many years. In later life, he embraced his entrepreneurial calling opening Best Buy Liquors in Camarillo and then as a professional photographer after attending the Brooks School of Photography in Santa Barbara. Many fondly remember his company, Concepts Photography. John photographed numerous weddings and many of the late great Las Patronas Debutante Balls. His photography also graced several Ventura County Fair posters – remember the iconic carousel horse poster? John served 40 years on the Board of Directors of the Limoneira Company which had been co-founded by his great grandfather in 1893.
John first married Pamela Poppic and they had two daughters, Jennifer and Heather. In 1969 he married Kai Hennoste. Kai had two children, Joe and Kristi Asebedo. John and Kai beautifully blended their two families to which they then added their own son, Jason. The five siblings and their subsequent spouses, children and grandchildren remain close to each other to this day, even though they are scattered across the country. All were devoted to John and Kai, who died tragically two years ago, and all were able to visit John during his short battle with cancer. He knew he was greatly loved.
John was a wonderful son, brother, uncle, dad, husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. He was predeceased by his wife Kai and his older brother James Blanchard. He leaves his sister, Betsy Blanchard Chess, Ventura, CA, his daughters Jennifer (Greg) Billow, Park City, Utah, Heather Domengeaux, Sonoma, CA, and Kristi (Jeffrey) Learn, San Diego, CA; sons Joe (Dee) Asebedo, Pensacola, FLA, and Jason (Melissa) Blanchard, Ventura. He was also close to his niece Devon (Vince) Cichoski and their daughter Eliza, Santa Paula, CA. He had eleven grandchildren and five great grandchildren. John loved life and lived it fully. He flew airplanes and now we know he is flying free, unfettered by the pain and grief of this earthly realm.
A memorial service will be held at the the Museum of Ventura County, 100 E. Main St., Ventura, at 11 AM on Saturday, August 3rd. A reception will follow and valet parking will be provided.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests a charitable donation made in John’s honor to either The Blanchard Community Library in Santa Paula, the Santa Paula Art Museum, or the Brain Injury Center of Ventura.
The family is appreciative of the care he received at the Ventura Townehouse, by the Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurses and his wonderful caregivers Daisy Corpuz, Kaye Fababier, and Mylene Fababier.