Charles Dewayne "Chuck" Blanton

Charles "Chuck" Blanton, 53, of Pensacola, Florida, died at home on October 1, 2024, after a lengthy illness. Chuck was born in Memphis, Tennessee on November 30, 1970 to Charles Blanton and Lois Ann Walker Blanton. He was raised in the Memphis area by his parents and as a teenager by his father and stepmother, Sandy Blanton.
Chuck graduated with honors from Dyersburg State Community College with an Associate of Science in Secondary Education. His love for mathematics and teaching was a driving force in his life. Chuck loved academia and what it could bring to the world. He firmly believed in continuing his education by attending Strayer University, where he maintained a 4.0 grade point average. At Strayer, his studies focused on computer sciences and networking. He also attended Pensacola Junior College and the University of West Florida.
In 1999, while attending Strayer University in Washington, D.C. and working at Lambda Rising Bookstore, Chuck attended a rodeo in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where he met Bill. It truly was love at first sight and Chuck decided moving to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where Bill lived, was his best life plan. Putting his technical expertise and training he had received at Strayer to good use, he worked for the internet company, MindSpring, which later became EarthLink. In 2004, as technologies changed, Bill and Chuck decided to move to Pensacola, Florida to be closer to family. He continued furthering his education in Pensacola and worked at a contact center for West Corporation. When Navy Federal Credit Union decided to expand their Pensacola Operations, he found a rewarding career in banking.
In 2000, while visiting his father and stepmother in Memphis, Chuck suffered a fall down a flight of stairs which injured his back. This injury led to a disability, which made it very painful to sit for long periods. In 2009, Chuck was restricted to being at home and on short vacations. He loved traveling to Orlando and in 2012, he adopted his companion, Eddie. His sharp intellect led him to word games, online puzzles, and number problems. Chuck knew that everything had a number - including words and people. He often said mathematics was God's language and he worked daily to understand it.
Chuck was preceded in death by his father and mother. He is survived by his spouse, William "Bill" Gilleran; sister, Debbie (Mark) Fisher; his niece, Kim (Jason) Smith; and nephew, Allen (Michelle) Fisher; as well as mother-in-law, Mary Gilleran; and numerous nieces and nephews from brother-in-law, Michael Gilleran; sisters-in-law, Carol Davis, and Erin (Jon) LaGrosse; and a host of cousins, great nieces, and great-nephews.
Chuck was a beloved husband, son, brother, cousin, uncle and friend.