Mary E Blank

Born March 19, 1940 in Boston, Massachusetts to Charles Thomas and Helen Elizabeth (Denoncour) Graney, she married Jan Edward Blank on June 1, 1996 in Morton. He survives.

Also surviving are one son, Gregory William (Amber) Neaveill of Germantown Hills; two daughters, Deborah Ann (Cy) Taylor of Pekin and Jean Marie Neaveill of Bloomington; two step-sons, Michael Edward (Terri) Blank of Washington and Steven Allen Blank of Creve Coeur; two step-daughters, Catherine (Dan) Leman of Glen Ellen and Karen (Tim) Tattersall of Glenwood, Iowa; seventeen grandchildren; seventeen great-grandchildren; two brothers, Robert (Charlene) Graney of Northboro, Massachusetts and William (Rosemary) Graney of Milbank, South Dakota and one sister, Ann Marie (Michael) Hayes of Las Vegas, Nevada.

She was preceded in death by her parents; one son, Michael Wayne Neaveill on October 14, 2015 in Munchie, Indiana and one brother, Charles Thomas Graney.

Mary retired in 1997 from CILCO after 20 years of service as a sales representative in the Engineering Department. At CILCO, she was instrumental in creating their recreational golf league. She also was an inventor of a patented product, Comfort Stretch, which she created initially to help her grandson, Zachary. Comfort Stretch stretches as one’s muscles contract. She also took pride being outdoors and as a co-owner and operator of Blank’s Evergreen Acres with her husband, Jan.

Mary loved to sew and play golf. She was a member of the Fondulac Ladies Golf League and a member and past president of Altrusa International in Pekin.

She was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Pekin and a former member of Sacre Coeur Catholic Church in Creve Coeur, where she was a member of the Altar & Rosary Society and a longtime Sacristan.

Her funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, October 20, 2018 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Pekin. Father Michael Andrejek will officiate. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin. Burial will be in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Pekin.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Apostolic Christian LifePoints, 2125 Veterans Road, Morton, IL 61550; St. Joseph Catholic Church, 303 South 7th Street, Pekin, IL 61554 or to the Salvation Army, 243 Derby Street, Pekin, IL 61554.

To express condolences online, visit www.preston-hanley.com