Myrtle R. (Hiscock) Blanchard, 88, died the morning of October 25, 2019, surrounded by her family, after a period of declining health. Myrtle was a resident of Shutesbury, MA and formerly a resident of Bristol, NH and Leverett, MA. Born in Everett, MA on December 18, 1930, she was the eldest of five children to Harold and Susie (Ellsworth) Hiscock. After graduating from Everett High, she met and married her husband Robert J. Blanchard. Myrtle and Bob raised a family and were married 67 years, before his passing in March 2019.

Myrtle moved from Everett to the Pioneer Valley with Bob in 1955 where he attended the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. They settled in the area and took up careers at the University and raised a family in Leverett, MA. They spent their summers at Newfound Lake in Bristol, New Hampshire, eventually retiring there. Myrtle found her way back to the Pioneer Valley, moving to Shutesbury to be close to family.

Myrtle led an active and vibrant life. In addition to raising three children, she worked full time for thirty years at the University of Massachusetts. Her UMass career began as one of the first people to work in the new Engineering Library. She served on the Leverett and Amherst-Pelham regional school committees, from 1978-1986. Some of her favorite hobbies included gardening, watercolor painting, and baking Christmas cookies. She also had a keen interest in genealogy, and her family is grateful for the time she invested in documenting their history. She volunteered as secretary for the Newfound Lake Region Association, to support their mission to promote conservation and preservation of the region’s natural resources. In her later years, she volunteered at the Shutesbury Elementary School library, and faithfully attended the Arthritis Exercise classes every week at the Amherst Senior Center. And, of course, everyone knows what a die-hard Patriots fan she was!

Myrtle is survived by her daughter, Kerry Blanchard, her beloved granddaughter Katie Brown, and Kerry’s partner Joel Morris, and his children. She is also survived by her sisters Joan Gillespie and Marilyn Perez, sister-in-law Barbara Goodick, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Bob, daughter Suzanne and son Robert Jr., her sisters Barbara and Susan, as well as many other close family and friends.

Funeral services and a celebration of Myrtle’s life will be on Friday, November 8, 2019, at 11:00am, at Grace Episcopal Church, 14 Boltwood Avenue, Amherst, MA. Immediately following the service please visit with the family in the church Parish Hall.

In place of flowers, Myrtle’s family requests donations to the fund to build a new library for Shutesbury (https://cutt.ly/Zenrc6P), or the Newfound Lake Region Association (newfoundlake.org).