James "Buddy" Blank

Buddy was born December 12, 1943, in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania to Sylvester and Della Blank.  He graduated Thomas Jefferson High School in 1961.  He joined the United States Navy in 1961 and served proudly on the aircraft carrier USS Bonne Homme Richard CVN-61.  After leaving the Navy in 1964, he attended West Virginia University and then graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor's in electrical engineering.  He worked at Kyger Creek Power Plant, where he met his future in-laws James and Dorothy Hanson and his wife, Carel (Hanson) Blank. He married Carel on March 3, 1973, at St Peter's Episcopal Church, where he was a member and served many years as Junior Warden. In 1973, he began working for American Electric Power at the Cook Nuclear Power Plant in Michigan.  He then transferred to Mitchell Power Plant in Moundsville, West Virginia.  In 1979, he transferred to Mountaineer Power Plant where he retired from after working for AEP for 41 years in 2010. He loved to tell jokes (Buddy Jokes), spending time with family and helping whenever he could. He never met a bowl of ice cream he didn't like.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Carel (Hanson) Blank.  His 4 children, Christopher (Stephanie), Andrew (Melissa), Amanda (Jason Breech), and Michael (Jodie).  His grandchildren, Trevor (Elisabeth) Blank, Isaac Blank, AJ Blank, Paige Hukill and Hallie Hukill. He is also survived by three sisters Delores Spahr, his twin sister Joan Ankrom, Lana Bolitho, and many nieces and nephews including Nicole Helms, who was like a daughter to him.  He is also survived by his brother-in-law James (Sheila) Hanson and sister-in-law Maria Boone. He was proceeded in death by his parents, Sylvester and Della, sister Alice Mathers, sister Virginia (Ginny) Kaminski, mother and father-in-law Dorothy and James H. Hanson, and brother-in-law Bill Hanson.

Services will be held Saturday February 1, 2025 at Waugh-Halley Wood Funeral Home.  Calling hours will be from 1pm to 3pm with the funeral service beginning at 3pm. Military Funeral Honors will be presented by the VFW #4464 Honor Guard.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Shrivers Hospice, PO Box 8, Zanesville, Ohio 43702.

An online guest registry is available at waugh-halley-wood.com