John David Blankenship

John David Blankenship, born on December 8, 1976 in Reading, Pennsylvania, died on October 18, 2019 in Tampa, Florida, at the age of 42.

John was the youngest son of Doris Blankenship-Wellman of Reading, and the proud and loving father of Kira, Kerrie, David, Lillianne, Rozey, and Johnny. He is survived by: siblings Chip Covell, Paul Covell, Kerrie Covell Dent, Craig Covell, Brenda Blankenship, Georgia Blankenship Trembley, and Gabrielle Clymer Zartman; more than thirty nieces and nephews; and many cousins, aunts, and uncles. He was predeceased by his father, the late Charles David Blankenship. John also leaves behind countless loving and loyal friends from the many places he called home over the years, including: Reading, Pennsylvania; Fayetteville, Georgia; Madison, Georgia; Tampa, Florida; and Honolulu, Hawaii.

As a young child, John enjoyed going to the beach with his family, where he would dangle large hermit crabs over peaceful sunbathers to watch them shriek when they opened their eyes. By the age of four, he had befriended every beachgoer he encountered on the Jersey shore and charmed them into buying him candy and ice cream. He already had developed an incredible sense of humor, a quick wit, and a knack for always being the life of the party. In school, he excelled at music, singing, wrestling, and making people laugh. He played a mean game of whiffle ball, and read a lot of comic strips. Calvin & Hobbes and The Far Side were two of his favorites. His talent as a performer was often on display with his band, General Eclectic, which played at The Ugly Oyster and other venues.

John had a brilliant mind and an incomparable memory, which was reflected most often in his uncanny ability to memorize the words from almost every song he ever heard and nearly every line from every movie he ever watched. Conspiracy theorists believe that John actually penned the movie scripts for Home Alone and The Big Lebowski. In addition to his passion for music and movies, John enjoyed cooking (especially for his "momma bear"), serving tables at fun restaurants, entertaining his friends, and writing songs. John loved dogs, stupid jokes, and hilarious memes.

John's children were the most important thing in the world to him. They will remember him for his unconditional love, his huge hugs, and all of the amazingly fun times they had hanging out at the pool, fishing, playing with the dogs, singing, cooking, bowling, and watching Friends.

Above all, John loved people. He talked to everyone, everywhere he went, and he made them all laugh. His friends across the country will always remember him as the person who genuinely made a difference in the world day after day by making everyone he met feel like they truly mattered. John would want to be remembered the way some of his friends on Facebook did – at a bar, with a glass of beer and a shot of whiskey, and the following message scribbled on a napkin:

Be kind to each other.

Smile often.

Live like John.

John was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017 and beat it, but he lost his decades-long battle with addiction. He was, and will remain, unforgettable.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, November 4, 2019, at 5 pm at Kuhn Funeral Home, 739 Penn Ave, West Reading, PA 19611. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of John David Blankenship to Caron Treatment Centers, Attn: Development Office, PO Box 150, Wernersville, PA 19565 or online at https://www.caron.org/give-to-caron/donate-form.