Jennifer "Jen" Blankenship

Jennifer Ann Blankenship, 48, of Alexandria, MN, passed away unexpectedly due to unknown causes on April 7, 2021, while vacationing with her husband and two of her children in Florida.

A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, April 16, 2021, at Lake Community Church in Alexandria with Pastor Jon Ewton officiating. The service will be live streamed from Jen’s obituary page on the funeral home website or Lake Community Church’s homepage ( www.lakecommunity.org ).

Visitation is from 5-7 p.m., Thursday, at Lake Community Church and will continue one hour prior to the service.

Jen was born on September 20, 1972, to William and Alison Malyon of Glenwood, and was the oldest of four children. She attended Glenwood High School and went on to the University of Minnesota Crookston. She and her husband, Todd Blankenship, married on August 23, 1997, and raised four sons in Alexandria.

With a radiant smile and bright blue eyes, Jen lit up any room she entered. Her God-given gifts of warmth and hospitality were shared with all those around her. Friends and family also knew Jen as a very creative individual — from her culinary skills to fashion and home decorating. Jen was known for her delectable green bean and sweet potato casseroles, southwest pinwheels, pickle wraps, and salads. Her husband and boys also enjoyed an annual surf & turf Valentine’s dinner. In her 25 years at Herbergers as a Visual Manager, Jen put her artistic talents to work selecting and setting up the latest fashion trends and displays throughout the store and always greeting customers with that brilliant smile of hers. Her friends and sisters envied her latest shoe purchases. Every inch of her home is decorated with gorgeous textiles, wall décor, and framed photos. She organized many photo shoots with her family and extended family throughout the years. Her love of family is beautifully displayed on every wall and surface available in her home. Other things she enjoyed were time on the water, teaching children’s church at Lake Community Church, hosting gatherings, and traveling to Florida and the North Shore of Minnesota. Jen was also known to be the late one in the family, but she made up for it with her long goodbyes.

Jen is preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Harold and Mary (Ewing) Malyon and maternal grandparents, Douglas and Barbara (Pelley) Johnston.

Jen will be dearly missed by her husband, Todd; sons, Mitchell Telles, Kade, Kyle, and Jace; granddaughters, Ava and Eleanor; parents, William and Alison (Johnston) Malyon; brother, Brian Malyon; sisters, Molly Seipkes and Megan Blondeau; parents-in-law, Chuck & Kathy Blankenship; and many brothers- and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends.

Memorials in memory of Jen may be directed to Titus 2 Ministries.