Kerry
J.
Blanchette
Obituary
Kerry Joseph Blanchette, 70, passed away at home on June 27, 2024, in Fort Wayne, IN. He was born in Lafayette, IN on August 18, 1953, to the late Everal L. and Rita T. (Billings) Blanchette.
Kerry graduated in 1971 from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Joliet, IL. He graduated in 1994 from St. Francis College in Fort Wayne, IN. He was employed by North American Van Lines for 29 ½ years. He flourished in his second career as a wine steward at Kroger for 12 years before retirement.
Kerry’s passions included running, wine, sports, and music. Some of his greatest accomplishments were finishing the Sunburst Marathon 4 times, as well as completing the Indiana Distance series in 2010. He also became a wine sommelier and traveled to Napa Valley. He enjoyed watching the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bears, and IU basketball. He was a lover of all things music including collecting albums, cds, and going to concerts.
He is preceded in death by his parents, and siblings: Joyce Beaver, Kenny Blanchette, and Janet Prescott.
Kerry is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Regina, his children: Jason (Jasmine) Blanchette, Chelsea (Ryan) Ross, Travis (Haley) Blanchette, and Kalissa (Tylor) Herron. Also surviving are his 11 grandchildren: Ava, Jackson, August, Allison, Pyper, Luis, Everlee, Grayson, Marlow, James, and Grace. As well as his sisters, JoAnn Kyburz, Kathy (Tim) Ryan, and Karen (Kenny) White.
Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11:00 am Wednesday, July 3, 2024 at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 1502 East Wallen Rd, Fort Wayne, IN 46825, with calling one hour prior. Visitation will be held from 2-4 & 5-7 pm Tuesday at Divine Mercy Funeral Home, 3500 Lake Ave, Fort Wayne, IN 46805. Rosary will be recited at 4pm. Burial will follow the mass at Catholic Cemetery in Ft. Wayne, IN.
Memorial contributions in honor of Kerry Blanchette, may be made to St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church 1502 East Wallen Rd, Fort Wayne, IN 46825 and Right to Life of Northeast IN 3106 Lake Ave, Fort Wayne, IN 46805.
Services
Visitation for one hour prior to Mass
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church
Divine Mercy Funeral Home
Condolences
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Kalissa & Ty, we are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of your father and father-in-law. May all of your most precious memories of your time with dad help you through the most difficult days ahead. Please accept our deepest sympathy for your loss.
So sorry Jason, prayers for you and your families 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Kerry was a good and honest man, he took pride in doing things the right way. I got to know him better when calling on him in the wine business. I never met someone who was so passionate about doing the job “wine steward”to the best of his ability. Once he was exposed to wine it unleashed a passion in him that few people experience, he went from novice to expert very quickly. He amassed a wine collection that would make many aficionados jealous. On occasion he would order bottles and cases of the good stuff and sometimes make me promise not to tell his wife “Gina”because he was over budget . Rest in Peace Kerry, enjoy that great bottle of Cab up there.
Broken hearted over Kerry’s Death. Spent many years working together at North American Van Lines. Didn’t always agree but we had respect for one another. Rest in peace Kerry. Gina and family, I hope your good memories bring a smile to your faces often.
Linda and Dave
Gina and family, my sincere condolences in your loss so sorry to hear about Kerry. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.
He was the one who hired me at North American Van Lines…I remember he told me HR told him I was not a good choice but he had a good feeling about me…that was when I was 19. Here I am at 43 and still there. Thanks for giving me a chance at a job that I really enjoy and have flourished at Kerry! May you rest in peace. What a great man. Prayers for all the family and friends. 🙁
To my SCBS roommate ill miss our times and conversations recently since we were able to reconnect at our 50th hs reunion, im so happy God put yiu into my life, godspeed mty friend