Bill Blankenship

Funeral services with military honors for Mr. Billy Gale Blankenship, age 70, of Cookeville and formerly of Nashville, will be at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 25 in the Cookeville Chapel of Hooper Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home with Rev. Bill Stone and Rev. Mike Head officiating. Interment will be Wednesday, May 31 at 10 a.m. in the Middle Tennessee Veterans Cemetery in Nashville. The family will receive friends Thursday from 3 - 5 p.m. at the funeral home. Bill passed away Tuesday evening May 23, 2017 at Cedar Hills Senior Living. He was born January 14, 1947 in Lebanon, TN to the late Billy Ray and Idelle Thompson Blankenship. Bill graduated from Cookeville Central High School in 1965 and attended Tennessee Tech University studying Music. While at TTU, he was a member of the Army ROTC and was inducted in the Army as a Second Lieutenant. in 1970. He served in Germany for two years and then enlisted in the TN Army National Guard. He retired as Captain in 2007 after 35 years of service. Bill graduated from the University of Tennessee Nashville with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting in 1979. He worked as a Cost Accountant in the private sector for several years before accepting a position with TN National Guard as a Family Assistant Coordinator. Bill's appreciation for music developed at an early age and remained with him throughout his life. He played the tuba during college and was a member of 129th Army Band for over 17 years. He was a member of Cookeville First Baptist Church. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Carole Longshore Blankenship. He is survived by a sister and brother-in-law, Ann and Steve Hertzfeldt; niece and nephew, Jenny and John Paul Holmes; great niece and nephews, Katie, Nathan and Connor Holmes, all of Cookeville. Memorial contributions may be made to Cookeville First Baptist Church Building Fund, at 18 S. Walnut Ave. Cookeville, TN 38501 or to TTU Fine Arts Foundation Designated for Tuba Studio, at TTU Dept. of Music, P.O. Box 5045, Cookeville, TN 38505. Hooper Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. (931)526-6111 You may share your thoughts and memories at www.hhhfunerals.com