Blanche Ann Bankert

Blanche Ann Bankert (née Nelson) passed away on June 1, 2026, at home, with family, on a gentle spring morning following a day spent surrounded by children and grandchildren. She is united in the hereafter with her loving husband of 56 years, Jerrold Paul Bankert, who passed away nine months earlier.

Blanche was born on October 20, 1936, to the late Richard John Nelson and Blanche H. Nelson (née Smith) in Philadelphia. Her father was a career layout designer for the Cuneo Printing Corporation; her mother, an artist who handmade ceramics and taught courses on painting in her Philadelphia studio. Her parents instilled in her a lifelong appreciation of the whimsical, bright, and beautiful.

She was a 1954 graduate of West Philadelphia High School, where she formed lasting friendships and edited her school’s newspaper and yearbook. A 1958 graduate of West Chester State Teachers College, Blanche was active in the Philosophical Society and Bridge Club; she received a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with teaching certificates in English, History and School Counseling. Soon after she began a long career serving students as a school counselor, teacher, and aide in the Bensalem, Interboro, and Great Valley school districts. Within the span of her thirty-five-year career she stayed home for twelve to raise her three children, who grew up watching her build a small business by firing and painting ceramics with two industrial kilns in her garage. Her holiday and garden decorations were sold for many years at the Bryn Mawr Hospital gift shop, and her children’s backyard contained hidden areas of interest filled with sunbathing frogs, dwarves, and woodland creatures enjoying the landscape.

An avid reader with an interest in English history, Blanche built a considerable reference library of books on the development of British art, architecture, and dynastic succession. Her vacations to the English cathedrals and castles throughout her retirement were a fulfillment of years of inspired interest.

She was a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and enjoyed fellowships throughout her life within the congregations of Bethany Temple (Philadelphia), Paoli, and Wayne Presbyterian Church.

In 1969, newlyweds Blanche and Jerry purchased a home in Willistown Township, where they began a lifetime of close friendships with families on Bryan Ave and Queens Ave. The bonds between the wonderful parents and children of this neighborhood community were among her greatest sources of gratitude and endure beyond her passing.

Blanche follows her late husband Jerry, as well as her older brother John Nelson (1934), who died in infancy, and her younger brother Richard Edward Nelson (1941-2021). She is survived by her three children Jerrold Paul Bankert, Jr., Beth Ann Hollick (Jeff), and James Richard Bankert (Saskia). Blanche’s pride and affection for her only granddaughter, Lexi, was constant through the years as she watched her thrive and discover the beauties of marine biology on summer beaches. Her grandsons Alexander, Erik, Newell, Saxon, and Kipling brought her comfort and joy, especially in her final days at home. She was a loving aunt to Tim Nelson and deeply loved his wife, Alexandra, and their daughter, Kenzie.

Blanche gathered family each summer in Ocean City, New Jersey. Its sands and boardwalk served as a magnificent setting for generations of her family to build memories together.

Relatives and friends are invited to Blanche’s Visitation on Thursday, June 18 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Wayne Presbyterian Church, 125 E Lancaster Ave, Wayne, PA followed by her Funeral Service at 11:00 AM. A reception will be held through the church connector following the funeral service. Interment Private.