Launce Blenkin Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Launce Blenkin, 85, of 6 Main Street, died Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014, at his home.Born in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England, he was the son of William F. and Manda Fletcher Blenkin. At that time, most young men went to work in the mines, but he joined the Royal Navy in 1946 at the age of 17, and served until 1954. He served in the Far East as confidential secretary to the Admiral of the Pacific Fleet. At the end of his naval service, Launce went to London where he met renowned chef and author James Beard, who encouraged him to move to New York in 1958. He became a party consultant for creative people and socialites such as Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Joan Crawford, Philip Johnson and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney and Beverly Sills, who said of Launce in a recommendation, "It grieves me to think that he is going to be busy making other people's lives happier and easier- instead of mine. He organized many of my formal and informal parties successfully and has shown enormous skill..." In the late 1970's, he moved to Princeton New Jersey, where he established the Green House Restaurant at the Nassau Inn, and then consulted for private clubs, society weddings and other major social functions around the country. When he moved to Lenox, he volunteered at the Lenox Library, where he was known for his skillful persuasion at Ex Libris, the library shop. He became active at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lenox, showing care for people through food. He was supportive of the Trinity Godly Play program, and was feted and thanked by the children who told his life story in church. He was an avid bridge player, enjoying both contract and duplicate games at the Lenox Community Center and in his apartment at the Curtis. He is survived by a brother, Keith, of Eastbourne, East Sussex, England, and three sisters, Sandra and Kathleen of Perth, Australia, and Margaret of Adelaide, Australia, and many nieces and nephews. His sister Vera, who lived in Wales, died in 2013. He will remembered and honored at a funeral service at Trinity Episcopal Church, 88 Walker Street, Lenox at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 20. Donations in Launce's memory may be made to Trinity Church or the Lenox Library.

Launce Blenkin

August 27, 1929 - August 27, 2014