Thomas P. Blanchard has Passed Away

October 16, 2018 - Thomas Philip Blanchard, 54, died unexpectedly on Friday, September 28, 2018, in Louisville, Kentucky, while traveling on business for a job and career he excelled at and truly loved.

Since 2016, he had worked for Basil Equipment, a supplier of electronic equipment for cranes. He had previously worked for eight years at Load Systems International, and for many years before that for other crane-related companies.

From his birth in Redwood City, California on July 26, 1964 to his death, Blanchard was known as a "doer," always on the go, carefree in his approach to life with dreams for a great future and always working hard with a very big heart.

Blanchard's passion and talent for cars, machines, and sales served him well over nearly 25 years in the heavy and intelligent equipment industry and resulted in him meeting his true love of six years, Christi Francis, who lived in Texas.

Blanchard lived most of his life in California, but moved to Texas in 2014, where he, his two sons, Christi, and her two daughters blended into a family.

Tom was preceded in death by his twin sons Thomas and Nicholas Blanchard and is survived by his loving partner Christi Francis, daughter Emilie Henkel Blanchard, sons Dylan and Devin Blanchard, step-daughters Savanna and Mikayla Francis, grandson Jay Thomas Blanchard, his mother and father, Roselle and Thomas Blanchard, sister Tami Brodsky (husband Ted Brodsky), sister Stacy Blanchard McKinney (husband Joel McKinney), his nephew Ken Johnson (wife Samantha Bassin Johnson) and nieces Kelli Johnson, Ella Rose McKinney and Paige McKinney and his many aunts and uncles.

Family and friends are invited to attend Memorial services at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 25, at the Redwood Chapel, Redwood City, California, with a brief reception at the chapel after the service. Blanchard's final resting place will be Holy Cross Cemetery, Menlo Park, California.