Stephen Warren "Blanky" Blankenship, 87, of Washington, passed away at 5:20am Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at OSF Richard L. Owens Hospice Home in Peoria.

Steve was born February 24, 1936 in Peoria to the late James Robert and Mildred Sawyer Blankenship. He married Joyce Darlene Deckard on September 24, 1955 in Peoria; she survives.

Surviving are their sons, Stephen (Deron) Blankenship, Jr. of Bremen, GA, Christopher (Julia) Blankenship of Wedowee, AL, and Eric (Amy) Blankenship of Washington; grandchildren, Jessica (Jason) Pritchard, Kathleen (Devin) Rader, Michelle Martin, Sarah Thompson, Paige (Mike) Theobald, Ashli (Jeremy) Turner, Daniel Blankenship, Brett Wood, Rachel Blankenship, and Rebecca Blankenship; 13 great-grandchildren; 1 great-grandchild; his sister, Janet Koch of East Peoria; and his nieces and nephews.

Steve was a proud veteran, serving in the Air National Guard and later enlisting in the US Army, serving in Germany. He worked 37 years at Caterpillar as a millwright, retiring in 1992. He was a servant leader and mentor, whether he was coaching youth sports, leading Scouts, or serving in the church. He enjoyed golf, bowling, and spending time with his family.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00am Saturday, May 27, 2023 at Deiters Funeral Home and Crematory in Washington. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Interment with military honors will be at Green Valley Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to two Veteran organizations Steve valued:

Greater Peoria Honor Flight at PO Box 5072  Peoria, IL  61601 or Wounded Warrior Project at P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675

or to two Washington churches Steve was connected with:

Crossroads Global Methodist Church or the Bridge United Methodist Church.