Richard Blankenship, 62, died on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, at his home in Greenville.
Graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 26, at Mt. Moriah Cemetery, with Pastor Jared File officiating. Assalley-Young Funeral Home in Greenville is assisting the family with arrangements.
Mr. Blankenship was born on Jan. 6, 1961, to Dr. Reginald ‘Sam’ Blankenship and Nancy (Huber) Blankenship in Greenville, the oldest of three siblings. He and his family remained in Greenville for the following years as he attended and graduated from both Greenville High School and Greenville College, where he received his BA in communications and writing. After graduating, Mr. Blankenship moved on to Normal, where he received his MA in English and writing from the Illinois State University. While at ISU, Rich met his future wife, Angella Sidorov. The two married on Aug. 23,1996 in Bloomington and were together for 25 years until her death on April 24, 2022.
Over the years, Mr. Blankenship put his degrees, as well as his natural talents as a writer, to use working a variety of jobs in the literary field. He was an editor at the Farmer City Journal of Farmer City, an English and creative writing instructor at various colleges, such as SIU-C, ISU, Parkland College of Champaign and Heartland Community College of Bloomington; a copywriter for WCEE-TV in Mt. Vernon and the Filipski-Fox Associates in Greensboro, NC, and a columnist/critic for the Alestle at SIU-C. Beyond this, he was, the author of over a dozen published short stories, essays, and a screen play adapted for stage and performed by Ring of Fire Productions. Mr. Blankenship’s passion and skill for writing was a constant force in his life, and even in his last years, he was working on a book on the history of Southern Illinois titled Ghost Dances of Little Egypt, for which he was approached by several publishing companies.
Outside of his love for writing and literature, Mr. Blankenship was a passionate musician, historian and well-versed academic, as well as a devout Christian. He was, additionally, a lifelong believer in exercise and in his final days, even at the age of 62, had just set up his old workout bench again and written up a new workout plan.
Memorials may be made to Mt. Moriah Cemetery, c/o 15296 Mt. Moriah Ave., Donnellson, IL 62019. Condolences may be left online at www.assalleyfuneralhomes.com.
