CHUCK BLANKENSHIP
July 1, 1958 - October 22, 2002
For those who knew him, for those who miss him
this is as close to Brilliant Blue as I could find ;-)
The beauty of small town living...
- ROSE
- Bomont, West Virginia, United States
- When you have no idea what you're doing, somebody else will ... or at least make something up & run with it.
22 comments:
(Cut & pasted from SSDD Board)
Anonymous said ...
I'm with you Rose, I also voted for Andy! I think it takes great courage to stand up for certain issues in this county and he has done just that.
For those that think I'm a devil worshipper just because I think that Sams is a JOKE!! I'm most definitely NOT. I was born and raised in Clay county w/ morals, values, common sense and to believe in God. I do believe in God...but why is there such a fight over "Whose" God is the "RIGHT" one?? Isn't it enough to live in America and have the choice of "believing" or not.
Unlike the stone throwers in this county... unintellingent, back-wood, ignorant heathens that hold fast to the belief that if you don't worship "their" God...or you don't believe the way that they do.. you should be less than them.
For Sams...and trust me I know him personally... It's all a ploy!!!
I know the under-handed dealings that go on with certain people of "importance" in this county.(someday I may write a book about what I know--but for now, I have a family to raise and I don't have the guts that AW has to follow thru w/ it. ) It's WHO you suck up to that matters in this county. And from what I've seen AW has done NO SUCH THING. He could care less about whose butt to kiss.
He is who he is..and nothing more.
I'd vote for AW 2x if it were allowed.
This is a little off beat.. but I'd like to address something. What ever happened to the Chuck Blankenship so-called "accident"?? I don't believe for one iota of a second that it was an accident!! Period. I think that he was w/ the wrong crowd and possibly found out too much and was "taken out" (just like a couple of others have been) ...to keep things quiet. I talked w/ him just days before his "accident". He was heartbroken and sick that he had made some bad decisions in life and lost his wife and kids because of it. (trust me, this was bow season and he was walking up Rt. 4 and NOT hunting...I know this was NOT the normal for Chuck) What ever happened to the missing things from the car.. why was he in the backseat...why did he have trauma to the back of his head if he indeed did hit the cliff head on...???? No one ever answered his wifes questions...just another of the "back door dealings in Clay" that if you are considered a threat you are simply "removed" as a threat.(this was under the former sheriffs time) And then life is continued as if these persons didn't even exist. It's sick. Chuck is NOT forgotten..and never will be. I certainly hope that Carol and the boys are doing well and have found peace w/ his "accident" better than I have( and I'm sure that's NOT the case) because I believe there is more to the story. And to clarify..for those that are going to speculate about "how" i knew Chuck, he and his wife and kids were neighbors, friends of a relative and simply put.. just plain old good people!!
I am choosing to remain anonymous just because I don't want anything started with my family because of "WHAT" I've questioned here ... and "WHO" I've questioned. Rose, I know you too chic... and when I see ya out sometime I'll give ya a yell.. :)
As for Holcomb.. he is doing a good job. I wish he were in office a couple of years back--- I'm sure things would have turned out differntly. Enough of my rant... but Rose please let Carol know that some of us have NOT forgotten her or what has happened...she is in our prayers. :)
Sun Nov 27, 06:36:37 PM
(Copied from SSDD Board)
Anonymous said...
About Chuck, i tried to go up & see the car, but i was told it was "evidence". OF WHAT? i never saw no skid marks or anything that even made it look like a real wreck. lots of people said the car wasn't even messed up. the car might nota been, but the cover up was!
Sun Nov 27, 10:29:48 PM
(Copied from "& then she said ..." Board
Anonymous said...
Good morning Rose. :) I am the original poster about Chuck. Just wanted to quickly clarify some things.
To you Carol: I meant no harm or upset to you and your family at all.
It's hard enough to lose a family member naturally, I can only imagine what you must feel w/ the circumstances surrounding Chucks passing. That is part of why I wanted it to be known that there are other people that remember Chuck--and you and the boys as well. But also you weren't/aren't the only one that had questions. (somestimes it feels better if we don't feel so alone in what we believe)
WE REMEMBER!! :)
Let me also say that if Chuck had been a prominent name around the county SOMETHING would've been done. But he was a loving father and husband and apparently didn't have the right last name for anything to have been done about his "accident". If you look at the "names" (whether good or bad) in this county they seem to keep getting by...no jail time (or very little), no charges, nothing. It sickens me the very marrow of my bones.
I'd like to offer my apologies for the lack of consideration, empathy and good old fashion caring that this county and it's leaders (at the time) have shown you and your family.
I was your neighbor for many years and watched the two of you build a life together. The way you both interacted with your young sons is something that most will never have. If Chuck was out back mowing--you and the boys weren't too far away..normally he'd have one of them on his lap...or pulling them in a wagon. Or the two of you playing with them together. It's something that was truly a sight to see. I see a lot of parents now screaming/yelling at their kids to move out of the way so they can get things done. How pitiful that they never got to witness what a real loving family was like! I remember those times...
As I drive by your former home it brings it all rushing back. And I, just being a bystander hurt for you.I can only imagine what you feel. And I pray that you find or have found peace.
Sorry for the rambling. Sometimes my mind goes faster than my fingers will. :) But wanted you to know that there are some that care and will always remember. Perhaps it is the season (deer lol) that is making us think of Chuck more... :)
Good luck to you! And I'm with Rose 100% I think that 'whoever" is responsible for what happened --I hope it comes back on them 10 fold!! And if not here on earth...then I believe there will be a hotter hell for those resposible!!!
Many good wishes and prayers to you and yours.
Mon Nov 28, 09:02:48 AM
(Copied from "& then she said ..." Board
Anonymous said...
I have only a minute to express my appreciation to "Anon" who has been posting about Chuck. I will reply in full this evening.
For some reason my employer thinks it's important for me to return to work after a four day weekend so I must comply.
You brought up some good points and also said very many uplifting things. Thank you so much. More this evening!
Carol B.
Mon Nov 28, 10:06:03 AM
Aaahhh....the brilliant blue....LOL!! Still working on my reply post to Anon. Thanks for making this page! CON~
Hey.. I like what you've done with the place. lol :)
Looks good!!!!
Mark - I posted your comment on "God Bless America!" ...
Luke? If you're next, can you maybe break it up over a couple of days? ;)
By God this here Clay County sounds like one hell of a place! Cover ups, underhanded dealins,..well it sounds just like Hazzard County run by Boss Hogg! I'm stayin anonymous so I don't get whacked and you folks best see about gettin the Duke boys on up there to straighten things out.
Admittedly, I was really shocked to read someone had written about Chuck and the “accident”. Not that I thought everyone had forgotten or put it out of their minds, I just wasn’t aware it was still on someone’s mind in such great detail. I shouldn’t be surprised however, I know it has remained in the forefront my mind after three years and I know Chuck had many, many wonderful friends that he considered family, so it only makes sense.
That may be where it stops making sense. Plainly, the rest of the story hasn’t come together very smoothly.
I can tell you what I learned while I was looking into what had happened, which wasn’t really very much except that the local Sheriff’s office worked very inefficiently in their so-called “investigation”. I tried for over a year to retrieve relevant information regarding Chuck’s wreck and received no return phone calls from the Sheriff’s office, no updated report I had been promised by Deputy Belt and no answer to letters I had written to the Sheriff’s office.
There are many variables to consider when I think about all that happened before and after Chuck’s death. Everything from his “new friends” to calls he made to me after the boys and I had moved. Intermingled with that, there was also the vast amount of gossip (I assume it was gossip, much of what occurred or is said to have occurred hasn’t been proven. However, that’s not to say that it did or didn’t happen.) that came my way from people I knew well and people I had never seen and heard of before.
I need to clarify something before I go on. Chuck didn’t “lose” his wife and kids. The plan was that the boys and I were moving to Oregon where my family lives in August so I could get them started at school. Then Chuck said he was going to “straighten himself out”, work the rest of the year and come to Oregon at Christmas. Chuck and I talked on the phone at the very least once a week after I moved. It wasn’t like we never spoke to each other after I left; we kept in touch the whole time. I spoke to him last the Sunday before he died. The following Monday I received a note in the mail with some money for bills and Daniel'birthday present along with a note that said, "Remember, I love you and the boys." We remember each and every day just how much we love him too.
I didn’t know that things were missing from his car. Like what?
From what I understand he wasn’t in the backseat when they found him, he was squashed up between the dash and the windshield. Again, this is something that I heard from the ones that found him. I do think however, that because of the way the car was positioned the EMT’s had to pull him out through the back seat. But I don’t know for sure. According to the autopsy, while Chuck did indeed die of head trauma, it wasn’t to the back of his head.
I sincerely appreciate your thoughts and well wishes. It is good to know that Chuck hasn’t been forgotten. I didn’t really think that he would be though. He was a wonderful person in so many ways and I know he appreciated and cared each and every friend that he had.
As for my making peace with what has happened?? Not by a long shot I have to say. Every time I have a dream about Chuck, I spend the next several days racking my brain trying to figure out if there was some sort of sign, or clue in that dream that could help me figure out what happened and why it all happened in such a horrible, horrible way. I question myself as to whether or not I have done enough searching, if what I have done has done justice to Chuck. It’s a completely consuming task that takes a toll on me mentally and physically every time I put forth a concerted effort towards it.
I have to keep in mind though, that Chuck would much prefer I spend my energy raising these two boys of his, rather than running myself ragged looking for an answer that I may never find. (I wouldn’t say that I will stop looking; I didn’t always do what he told me to!! > ;D)
While I do respect your anonymity, I have to say, my curiosity is peaked. I think I have it narrowed down, but I won’t name any names here, because I believe you are right about why you are doing it.
As for your post this morning I’m not upset. In fact I’m glad to know that Chuck’s memory is still alive and well. Also I’m glad that others question what happened. Occasionally, I feel like I’m looking for answers to questions that don’t actually exist.
It’s hard to say how things would have been if certain circumstances would have been different. I know exactly what you are saying in this respect and I try not to be bitter about it. It doesn’t always work and sometimes I am bitter.
But it does help to remember that he was a great father and the boys are without a doubt the hardest part to deal with in all this. Thankfully, we have loads of pictures showiong the fun things he did with the kids, and even some of the yard mowing you described. We have his voice on tape and video tapes of him. Still yet, the boys are often sad because they find that their memories of him are fading if they aren’t looking at the pictures or listening to the tapes. I am anxious to return to Clay County with the kids so that those who knew him best can tell them their own stories and give them new insights to the dad they knew for only a short time.
I appreciate your apology regarding the county and its reaction to the Chuck’s wreck. Thankfully, so many of the community members of Clay did show the good old fashioned caring that you spoke of and it was immensely valuable and comforting. The thoughtfulness and compassion that Chuck’s family was shown by them outshined the obvious disregard received from every branch of law enforcement servicing Clay.
Don’t apologize for your rambling; you are right on! This time of year (deer season) always brings about so many memories of “Chuck and huntin’ season”, something that was innately a part of his life. It’s good to be able to share our thoughts and memories. There are those that go on as if he never existed to begin with. Those are the unfortunate few that weren’t lucky enough to have Chuck touch their lives.
Thank you so much for your wishes and prayers and we wish the same for you! (…and you thought you were rambling!!!! : D)
…as for the second Anon poster……I understand that several days after the wreck, Kings quit letting people look at the car because it was being used as evidence. Interesting because how many people had been and out of it by that time? I know I was and no one has asked for my fingerprints. I don’t believe that any form of law enforcement ever did go “investigate” it before they hauled it off to the junk yard for scrap to pay the wrecking service. Now about the gun…that was an interesting part of the story.
Best Wishes!!!
Carol B.
only difference in clay county is theres no duke boys. we got the young boys instead. too bad, them and that cummings boy. neither of them is in jail anymore and there awful quiet. cummings wrote up in the commuter about chuck. dont rememberwhat me meant by itall. like he didnt know about it or something.
I can't get the Communicator page up today.
What's up?
The lease?
Sorry, AW, I just couldn't let that get by.
To CB: Sorry again. I did indeed say "lost" his wife/kids. But that just proves further that my brain works a little faster than my hands and my thoughts got tangled. So I apologize. I meant no harm. I know that Chuck cherished you guys.
I did know-- well, more like heard that you had gone west and Chuck was going to follow you once he had things lined out. I think it sucks that he wasn't given the chance to get things in order so he could get to you and the boys.
Gotta get dinner on the table now, before the children gnaw off an arm. LOL :)
Your Neighbor
To Neighbor~
No apology necessary. There were many weird circumstances during that summer prior to Chuck’s death. I know I heard a lot of gossip about a lot of people and I’m sure there was enough going around about me. (only the good stuff was true! >; D )
As it happened some of those circumstances caused me to have to return to my family and as it was my family happened to live 3000 miles away. Had they lived just down the road, say in Clendenin or even Elkview, everything might have turned out totally different. I think all the time how it might have been had we not moved. There is plenty of the shoulda, coulda, woulda, going on in my life. You’re right it does suck that there was no chance to get things line out.
Thanks for writing! I hope you still have both arms!
CB
Hey Rose. Love the site but I just have one question about the "other" site, and since I know how smart you really are and youre so darn cute too, here goes girlfriend. How does changing a website into a bunch of quotes from smart intellgent people make you seem smart and your website look better?? It doesnt.....it just proves that while the rest of us grunts go to work to support our families, one can sit around all day, searching, copying and pasting a bunch of quotes they couldn't possibly understand. Really smart!!!!! Now, any other answers for that one, besides mine, cause I know how darn smart I am.
Oh, Anon @ 6:57, you flatter me! Just keep on talkin'! LOL I doubt the words in those quotes are understood, much less the quotes themselves. I used to have that much time to surf all day & just about went stark raving mad, bored out of my mind! Hence, I went back to work. I guess some brains just need more stimulation than others.
Keep those comments coming!
hey rose 10 commandment opponents
whats with you people? why do preachers preach politics from the pulpit, why do politicians go to church. why of course they must get together someplace or they wouldn't know who was telling what lie. did you know there were hairy people in the world before we came along. and afterward. there was Hairy __S ed President Truman who signed the final 2nd worid war peace treaty 20 July 1947 onboard the battleship Missouri somewhere in the western Pacific I was already in Japan. had just passed my 18th birthday in May. As the man said I've been there, done that. the lone stranger
Hey Neighbor~
Though Rose chose not to post yourlast entry due to personal content, she did forward it to me. Interestingly enough, I knew about this conversation you had with Chuck. I recall both, that he told me about it and also that I had heard about it from someone else, and I don't remember who, days later and miles down the road, so to speak. If you choose to contact me personally, you may do so at
townmousecountrymouse@email.com
Your meeting with him is interesting to hear about. It coincides with what I knew to be true (such as that is).
Thanks again for remembering Chuck and also for listening to him and offering to help him, when I'm sure he needed just that at the time.
CB
:) CB: I knew Rose would do the appropriate thing with that one. I have faith in her :) So, my secret is out huh? You do indeed know who I am.. haha lol
It was just the thing to do, my stopping that day. No thanks necessary for stopping or for listening... It was the neighborly thing to do ;)
I'll email ya sometimes later!
Your Neighbor~
oh.. and thanks Rose! You're the best chic. :)
Neighbor --
hey, I was your neighbor for a long time too huh?...hahahah
Hey, Neighbor?? I DON'T KNOW NUTHIN'!! teeheehee I see nothing, I hear nothing, I say nothing. HENCE, I must know nothing, right?? Just ask anybody. >;-} & if you want to pound me for not posting your comment, it's already been done if you need some help with the wording ... HA!
I have been away from Clay for a few years. I had no idea this had happened :( im so very sorry to hear. When I lived here you had just the one son. So congrats on your second CB. What i seen of you and Chuck and your son, you both was a pleasnt sight to see. Always smiling always huggin your son. I turly wished i had known. I will keep you all in my heart and my prayers. God Bless your family. Im sure Chuck is watching from above smiling at you all.
One question? Who was the Sheriff at this time?
Thank you to the last anon for your kind words and thoughts. I know you??? Hmmm.....anyway....we did have another little one. Acts just like his daddy and that's good and bad!!!!! {: D
I know you are right about him smiling from heaven. He'd be so proud of all three of his boys. I know am.
The Sheriff then was Harald Fields.
Thanks for your post!
CB
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