Richard "Cat" Blankenship

The following obituary was lovingly written and submitted by the family of Richard "Cat" Blankenship, Sr.

Richard E. “Cat” Blankenship, Sr. (71) passed away in his home, surrounded by family on July 20, 2023. Richard was born in Riverdale, Maryland on December 29, 1952. He is preceded in death by his son, Rich, his four siblings, and his parents. He moved to Laurel, Maryland in 1962 where he met the love of his life, Mary. They celebrated 49 years of marriage on May 4, 2023.

Richard is survived by his wife, Mary, his daughter Nicole , his six grandchildren: Zachary, Tyler, Alex, Allyson, Andrew, and Nicholas and his great granddaughters Cali Rose, and Camryn. Richard is also survived by his nieces and nephews.

Richard spent the majority of his lifetime serving the community around him. He served the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department for 54 years where he served in all operational roles including fire chief for many years. He also served as a Career Howard County Firefighter for 35 years where he was battalion chief at multiple stations. He retired in 2008, and began work as a Fire Marshal for the City of Laurel. He retired from the City of Laurel in 2021.

Richard enjoyed his retirement with his wife Mary, and they spent a lot of time together taking trips to the casino. Richard was someone who always had a story, thrived on serving his community, and teaching upcoming men and women how to be the best you can be in any environment. Richard is known as a family man and takes pride in the family he has raised.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Laurel Volunteer Fire Department (Station 10 ) or, Savage Volunteer Fire Company (Station 6) .

Laurel Volunteer Fire Department
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 699, Laurel MD 20725
Web: http://laurelvfd.org/support

Savage Volunteer Fire Department
8521 Corridor Rd. MD 20763, Savage MD 20763
Web: https://www.savagevfc.org/