Mrs. Blanche Middleton West, 102, of Nelsonia, wife of the late John “Jack” Bowdoin West Sr., passed away on Aug. 18, 2023, in Onancock.
Born on May 18, 1921, in Hunting Creek, she was the daughter of the late John R. Middleton and the late Agnes Blanche Wathen Middleton. After high school, Blanche worked as a secretary for the Accomack County Health Department. She married John “Jack” West in December of 1947. When her children were teenagers, Blanche became Jack’s secretary in his real estate office at John B. West Realty, where she worked for 20 years.
Blanche enjoyed cooking and baking for her family and friends. She did vegetable gardening in her early adult years. She was a longtime member of the Soroptomist International Club of Accomack County for 45 years and a member of the Ladies Guild at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, where she cared for Catholic altar linens and cloths for 40+ years. Always elegantly dressed to the nines, Mrs. Blanche was known for her sweet demeanor and quick wit.
Blanche is survived by her children, John Bowdoin West Jr., of Nelsonia, William Carey West (Laura), of Houston, Texas, and Teresa Ann West, of Ocean Pines, Md.; nieces and nephews, Susan Moran, Polly Johns, William Hanson West Jr., Richard Everson, Anita Bailey, Karen Zawalick, Kevin Wrenn, Mary Catherine Bailey-Adams, Jo Anne Bartlett, Tommy Bailey, and Colin Wrenn; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Other than her parents and beloved husband of 71 years, Blanche was preceded in death by siblings, Regina Middleton, Margaret Charity Middleton, Elizabeth Regina Middleton, John R. Middleton, Ellen Middleton Bailey, and Mary Nell Middleton Wrenn; brother-in-law, William H. West; son-in-law, Anthony D. Smith; niece, Marilyn Hagen, and a nephew, Ronald Bailey.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 11 a.m. from the St. Peters Catholic Church with Father Michael Imperial officiating. Interment will follow in the Modest Town Baptist Church Cemetery in Modest Town. A time of fellowship will follow at the Modest Town Baptist Church.
The family will receive friends Friday evening from 5 to 7 p.m. at Thornton Funeral Home in Parksley.
Should friends desire, memorial contributions may be made to St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, P.O. Box 860, Onley, VA 23418 or Modest Town Baptist Church, 16508 Metompkin Road, Modest Town, VA 23412.
Arrangements are by the Thornton Funeral Home in Parksley.
To sign the guest book online, visit: www.thorntonfuneralhome.net
