Richard "Dick" Alan Blankenberger, 70, of Owensville, passed away on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Ascension St. Vincent Evansville. He was born on December 6, 1954, to the late Adolph and Mildred (Weinzapfel) Blankenberger. On March 14, 1979, he married the love of his life, Mary Jo Barton. Together, they raised four children: Larry Beck (d. 2002), April (Jon) Dew, Kim (Michael) Salee, and Kyle (Bridget) Blankenberger.

Dick and his nine siblings—Kathleen, Robert, Wayne, Fred (Alice), Danny (Dawn), Jerry (Debbie), Carol (Jim) Lambert, Janet, and Jennifer (Mark) Bender—grew up on the family farm, where he learned the values of hard work, faith, and the importance of family. Even after retirement, he enjoyed helping his brothers on the farm.

He graduated from North High School in 1972. After completing his apprenticeship, he began his career in Tool and Die at Dextrous Mold in October 1980. A master in his trade, he mentored many young men over the next 41 years before retiring in October 2021.

Dick was known for his kindness, patience, witty humor, and selflessness. He was an avid gardener with a passion for roses and loved to fish. He embraced the simple joys of life and was strong in his faith, as a longtime member of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Fort Branch, IN. He was cherished by his many nieces and nephews and was the man who could fix, build, and solve anything.

One of his greatest titles was Papaw, and his grandchildren were among the biggest joys of his life. Jaxson, Kyla, Natalie, Brody, Braxtyn, Logan, Piper, John, and James filled his days with adventures, projects, love, laughter, and tangled fishing lines. There weren't many ball games or events that Papaw ever missed.

The family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to the staff at Ascension St. Vincent Evansville and Ascension St. Vincent Cancer Center.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Fort Branch, with Father Gary Kaiser as celebrant. Visitation will take place from 9:00 a.m. until the time of Mass at the church. A committal service and burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Donations in Dick's honor can be made to Holy Cross Catholic Church. Expressions of sympathy can be made at stodghillfuneralhome.com.

Holy Cross Catholic Church
305 E. Walnut St., Fort Branch IN 47648
Tel: 1-812-753-3548
Web: http://www.holycrossparish.info