Kathryn Blank

Kathryn Ryan Blank, 90, of Melbourne, Florida went to be with the Lord on October 7th. She passed away peacefully at Autumn House surrounded by family. Born on July 20, 1923 in Elizabethton, Tennessee to the late Mary and John Ryan, Kathryn is survived by her husband of 67 years, Jonas Blank, Major General, USAF (Ret), and her children Jonas Blank, Jr and John Haynes Blank, two grandsons, Jonas Blank III and Stuart Blank, and two great grandchildren, Sarah and Connor Blank. She also has one brother, John Haynes Ryan. Kathryn graduated from the University of Tennessee and served as a bio-chemist at the Oak Ridge Nuclear Research Facility for several years until she married and moved to Washington DC in 1946. Over the next forty-six years Kathryn taught school, sang in choruses, ran charity events, joined service organizations and even chaired an investment club. However, most of all she was a marvelous wife and mother to her family. During many of those years the Washington DC area was home but two of their more interesting locations included Paris, France and Stockholm, Sweden. For the last twenty years Kathryn and Jonas have lived here in Melbourne, Florida at Indian River Colony Club. They have been blessed by so many people in the community as Kathryn’s condition worsened. She loved participating in the fashion shows, the chorus, the Colony Music Makers where she played the bass fiddle for years, the variety of social activities, and many cruises until the last few years. In lieu of flowers the family requests you make a donation to the IRCC Chapel Foundation or the Salvation Army. You can sign Kathryn’s guest book at www.beckmanilliamson.com