Mrs. Annie Fay Blanks

Annie Fay Blanks was born to Charlie and Rilla Langford on April 20, 1941 in Tupelo, Mississippi. Annie had 2 sisters Geraldine (deceased) and Bobbie. The Langfords started off as a poor sharecropper family working the cotton fields of Mississippi to get by each week.  Annie was called mostly by her middle name of Fay as most people who knew her, so from here on she will spoken of as Fay.  Fay had a rough time growing up having to drop out of school at 9th grade to help the family out as was most of the custom in the early days. In her late middle to late teens she went on to marry Carthel Rieser Blanks, a marriage that would last over 50 years until Carthel’s death May 28, 2014. Fay and Carthel raised up two sons, Kenneth Sven Blanks, born August 28, 1960 and Max Edward Blanks, born November 4, 1963. Both parents worked hard to make the best for the family but ultimately focused all their love and money on their two sons.  Fay had various full and part time occupations to support the family and at various times in her life and sometimes full time house wife/mother to the children particularly in the children’s youth years. Carthel was the main bread winner for the family of many years. Carthel studied to be an electrician and performed many electrical jobs across the US as a Union Electrician. One memorable job Carthel was assigned to was the electrical jobs associated with Disney’s opening of EPCOT working on many of the attractions you see in future land and the Mexican pavilion. Of the jobs Fay held down in her career, she was a waitress at a fine dining restaurant at the Orlando Municipal Airport, then she learned to become a welder and welded items associated with boats with the Water Bonnet Corporation, later she worked for Coca Cola owned Minute Maid Orange Juice plant in Forest City, FL as an assembly line operator for canning the orange juice.  Her final jobs were with Orange County Public Schools (Elementary) and Mount Dora Christian Home and Bible School as a food service worker.  Carthel had retired before Fay due to medical issues but she later joined Carthel in retirement at age 65 from the Mount Dora Christian Home and Bible School job.  The Blanks family lived primarily in Apopka, FL with their son’s graduating from Apopka High School, Kenneth 1978 and Max 1982. Both went on to get college degrees with Fay and Carthel supporting them with tuition and housing. Fay loved plants, gardening and animals. Later as Carthel’s health deteriorated, Carthel and Fay moved to a home in Williston, FL that was 1 mile from son Max’s house in 2012. Carthel at age 78 due to body complications after his broken hip passed away May 28th, 2014. Fay was comforted during the loss of Carthel by family and church family members. Two abandoned cats (Lucky and Princess) befriended Fay and she took them into her household as pets.  God was certainly providing many ways to comfort her during her time of grief and loneliness from Carthel’s absence.  In essence, Fay really enjoyed God’s creations in general and cherished the relationships that she primarily generated due to always having a loving spirit towards people. When considering the very humble beginnings and hard challenges in life, Fay truly was mostly successful spiritually which ultimately counts the most in life. Fay was a stalwart of a Christian woman that held the family together in rough times and will always be remembered for that and her love to cook for her family and people particularly in baking some of the most delicious moist cakes you could ever eat.  She was always seen giving them out to church family, neighbors, nursing home workers/patients and the list goes on. Fay’s health in May of this year declined with a disease that was unfortunately diagnosed too late as Guillain Barre Syndrome in which the body’s own antibodies attack the person’s nervous system usually starting in the extremities such as the legs then up through the body. Fay succumbed to this disease due to lung failure on September 20, 2017 at 10:04 am with her son Max at her ICU bedside at North Florida Regional Medical Center, Gainesville, FL. Fay will be sorely missed by all as she was so dearly loved by so many she touched. Fay and Carthel are Christians as well as their son’s which in large part was due to Fay’s conviction to keep the family grounded in the Lord. Fay is now at peace and in heaven with her husband whom she dearly missed.  The Lords gives abundantly but ultimately takes back as well what is his.  We had her for 76 wonderful years, the Lord now has her and Carthel forever. May the Lord bless you and keep you as you remember the good times with our dear Fay and the love she blessed you with.  Amen!