Gloria Ridgeway Blanchette

Gloria Ridgeway Blanchette An accomplished teacher whose career spanned nearly six decades, Gloria Ridgeway Blanchette passed peacefully on May 22, 2023 in Sacramento, CA following a long illness. Gloria was born on October 1, 1931 in Selma, AL to veteran educators, Booker and Laura Ridgeway, who played integral roles in the civil rights movement. Gloria’s father Booker served as principal of a Presbyterian school in Millers Ferry, AL – a rural area about 30 miles from Selma – where hundreds of Black youths were educated under his stewardship in the segregated South. It was there in Millers Ferry where Gloria first developed her passion for teaching, instilled in her by her father and mother. Gloria left Millers Ferry enroute to college and received her BA degree in English from Knoxville College, an HBCU located in Knoxville, TN. After college graduation, she returned to Alabama to begin teaching, and eventually met and married U.S. Air Force officer Horace Thomas Blanchette (Tom) in 1954. Tom and Gloria were stationed at various Strategic Air Command (SAC) bases across the globe. While Tom was in the military, they had three children: Ronald Blanchette, DDS, born at Craig AFB in Selma in 1955; Angela Blanchette, born at Johnson AFB near Tokyo, Japan in 1957; and Cheryl Blanchette, JD, born at Castle AFB in Atwater, CA in 1967. Gloria did post-graduate work at the University of North Dakota while her family was stationed at Grand Forks AFB. She also taught at some of the military bases’ schools through the years. When Tom retired from the military in 1970, the family relocated to Sacramento, settling in the South Land Park area. Gloria taught language arts and social studies at John Still and Cal middle schools in Sacramento for more than 25 years. Officially “retiring” from teaching in 1995, Gloria went on to serve as a consultant for the California State Department of Education where she was a frequent workshop presenter and trainer. She also was appointed to the California Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission. The teaching bug was still within her following her retirement and she continued to substitute teach at various schools throughout Sacramento for many years. Among Gloria’s proudest achievements was being a lead author and editor of “Visions – A Career Guidance and Management Guide,” geared toward young Black males. The California Department of Education distributed this publication to schools throughout the state. She also published numerous course guides for the Sacramento Unified School District on creative writing, reading, language arts, and social studies, as well as received several awards and honors throughout her teaching career. Gloria was an avid story teller and loved sharing with others colorful tales about her life and the lives of her family members. Additionally, she was an active member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority throughout her lifetime and a member of the Sacramento Links Inc. An expert bridge player, Gloria enjoyed traveling, and was known to frequent casinos on occasion to play the penny slot machines. In addition to her children Ronald, Angela, and Cheryl, she is survived by her granddaughters Danielle Youngblood Loriente (Pablo) of Orlando, FL; Dominique Blanchette Taylor, PhD (Trent) of Tampa FL; and Gabrielle Blanchette, DPT of Los Angeles, CA; and great-granddaughters Eva and Lola Loriente Youngblood. Gloria is also survived by her brother William Ridgeway and sister-in-law Charlotte Ridgeway of San Jose, CA; sister-in-law Delores Ridgeway of Los Angeles, CA; sister-in-law Suzanne Blanchette of Sacramento; and a host of loving nieces, nephews, and cousins. She is preceded in death by her brothers Booker Ridgeway and Benjamin Ridgeway. A memorial service for Gloria will be held on Saturday, June 10 at 11 a.m. in Sacramento at Morgan Jones Chapel of Chimes, 4200 Broadway. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association: https://act.alz.org/donate.