Mr. Marion Blankenship, age 73, of West Jefferson, passed away Monday afternoon, December 6, 2010 at Ashe Memorial Hospital. Funeral services will be held on Friday, December 10, 2010 at 2:00pm at Smethport Baptist Church with Rev. Phil Arnold and Rev. Chris Goodman officiating. Burial will be held in the Blankenship Family Cemetery in West Virginia. The family will receive friends from 6:30-9:00pm on Thursday, December 9, 2010 at Boone Family Funeral Home Mr. Blankenship was born in Cardova, West Virginia on Sunday, October 31, 1937 to the late Gabe and Retta Baldwin Blankenship. He was a member of Smethport Baptist Church. He was a Carpenter and Cabinet Maker. He was also preceded in death by a son, Paul Blankenship. He is survived by his wife, Doris Trivette Blankenship, of 16 years of marriage; five daughters, Pam Gartrell and husband, Jim, of Pennsylvania, Brenda Murphy and husband, Dick, of Maryland, Sandra Blankenship, of Statesville, NC, Donna Taylor and husband, Tom, of Indiana and Sherra Bowman and husband, Giles, of Georgia; mother of children, Evon Blankenship; a brother, Robert Blankenship, of West Virginia; three sisters, Susie Wright, of Pennsylvania, Mary Foe, of Maryland and Luretha Eichelberger, of Salisbury; nine grandchildren, Erin Souther, Katlin Taylor, Maggie Taylor, Blaise Bowman, Regan Bowman, Matthew Gartrell, Danny Murphy, Jamie Ragland and David Gartrell; several nieces and nephews also survive. The family requests no food please! Memorials may be made to the family, c/o Boone Family Funeral Home, PO Box 786, West Jefferson, NC 28694.