Betty Gay Walden Blanc

Our mother, Betty Gay Walden Blanc, inhaled her first breath of life on October 28, 1927 in her parents’ home in Chattanooga, TN. She was our sunshine. Mom was solid as a rock and made sure her four children experienced all facets of life. She instilled in us a love for nature and the great outdoors, exposed us to all types of music and cultural experiences which gave us a great appreciation for the arts. Mom made learning fun and engrained in us the importance of education and encouraged us to never stop learning. By example, she taught us to be tolerant, patient, kind, accepting, honest and to always love unconditionally. She graduated from Carson Newman College with multiple majors in 1949 and later earned her Masters of Education in 1998. She served on the Board of Trustees at her beloved alma mater for several years. She was a longtime, active member of First Baptist Church in Jefferson City. During her wonderful life she was a chemist, accomplished pianist and organist, taught German, did the bookkeeping for her family’s lumber business, got her pilot’s license at the age of 65, traveled, did cancer research and even rolled gauze bandages for the American Red Cross after Pearl Harbor was bombed. Her most treasured roll in life was being a mother and grandmother. On May 18, 2017, Mom breathed her last, precious breath in my home beside an open window with one of her favorite views of the Smoky Mountains, flowers, horses, and rolling green fields. She has left us all the best gift of all, a legacy of love, purpose and a solid foundation for generations to come. Mom was proceeded in death by our dad and her husband of forty-five years, Henry Daniel Blanc: son Jim Blanc: her parents Jim and Joy Walden, and brother Jimmy and Tom Walden. She is survived by her daughers and their husbands; Linda Gay Blanc and Marshall Peterson, Nancy and Danny Dalton, Jenny and Doug Malone; Grandchildren Derek Malone, Megan Malone and fiancé Dave Apuzzo and son Zachary, Molly Malone and friend Jared Hamlin; Great Grandchildren who were the light of her life; Kenry, Ruthie Jax, Lane Ella and Mills. Mom had a passion for learning and enjoyed helping others expand their education. Because of this, she made the decision to make an anatomical gift of her body to The University of Tennessee, Memphis Anatomy Bequest Program. The family will receive friends Monday, May 22 from 4:00-6:00 PM at First Baptist Church in Jefferson City, TN with the service to follow at 6:00. Dr. Richard Carter, her much loved family physician, will lead her memorial. In lieu of flowers, the family would suggest donations be made to any of the following organizations that were dear to her heart; East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Carson Newman University, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, or Friends of the Smokies. Arrangements by Farrar Funeral Home in Jefferson City, TN (865) 475-3892