Blanche Linford Astle

Blanche Linford Astle, 81, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 8, 2016. She had been diagnosed with cancer just a few weeks prior to her passing and bore the illness with grace and dignity. Blanche was born in Afton Wyoming on April 21, 1935 to Albert Hess Linford and Glenna Lemmon. She was the oldest of 8 children and was instrumental in keeping close family ties with her siblings and their spouses and children throughout her life.
Blanche grew up in Star Valley Wyoming where she met Leon C. Astle. They were married in the Logan LDS Temple on November 23, 1955. They spent most of their life together in Logan, Utah and are the parents of 4 children. Laurie (Gordon) Thorpe, Cherie (David) Stoddard, Sandra (Larry) Tolley and Kevin (Lori) Astle. Kevin passed away from cancer when he was just 28 years old. Blanche and Leon have been blessed with 17 grandchildren and 30 great grandchildren.
While raising a young family, Blanche earned both Bachelor and Master degrees from Utah State University in elementary education and was a dedicated teacher in the Ogden City School District for 30 years. She taught 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade and touched many lives through her diligent efforts as a teacher.
Blanche was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for her entire life and served in many callings. Some of her favorites were event planning on the activities committee and serving as a counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. She also quietly served others when not formally asked to do so. After they retired, Blanche and Leon served an LDS church service mission at the employment center. She was active in the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers organization for many years. She was an avid reader and enjoyed attending a monthly book club.
Blanche was a talented artist and she loved to oil paint. She took many painting classes and created hundreds of paintings that she shared with family and friends. All of her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and many of her friends have received her paintings and are proud to display them in their homes. This past summer, she took time to teach some of her great grandchildren to paint. She enjoyed sharing her love of art with others.
Blanche and Leon both enjoyed traveling together and with friends and family. They owned several motorhomes over the years and traveled to almost every state in the US and most of North America including Alaska. One of Blanche's favorite trips was a family trip to Hawaii in 1998. They were leaders in a travel/camping group called Old Ephraim and had many great friends that they camped with. They also had opportunities to travel to other countries including parts of Europe and Central America. Blanche loved to take pictures and has organized their travel photos and highlights from her life and the lives of her family in many scrapbooks. She lived a full and happy life and created a lovely home for Leon and her family.
Funeral services are under the direction of Allen-Hall Mortuary and will be held on Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 1:00 pm at the Mt Logan Stake Center located at 600 East Center Street in Logan. Leon and his daughters will meet with family and friends prior to the service from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm at the same location. Condolences and memories may be shared online at www.allenmortuaries.net .