John Alexander Blanton, 21, went to be home with his Lord and Savior on Saturday, July 14, 2018.

Born in Richmond on November 12, 1996, he was the son of Lisa and Ken Davis and William and Patricia Blanton of Cumberland. He was a graduate of Cumberland High School, Southside Virginia Community College and Longwood University.

He was preceded in death by his grandmothers, Kate Blanton and Wilmarine Hill, grandfather Earl Billy Blanton, godmother Carol Partridge, uncles Chip Hill and Bob Leaman, and his beloved pets Sarge, Teddy and Yaeger. He is survived by his parents; his siblings Wil Blanton and Jennifer (Jarred) Hellard and nephew JJ; his girlfriend Brittany Cothran; his grandfather Larry Hill; godfather James H. Partridge; his aunts Beth (Don) Beasley, Andrea (Rick) Murphy, Deborah Hill, Kathi (Danny) Hurley,and Dee (Bill) Ayers; his uncles Bill Leaman, Lee Leaman and Richard Leaman ; his special cousins Ray (Sue, Kyle, and Katherine-Ann) Beasley, Josh (Amanda, Kennadie, Owen and Paxton) Beasley, Shane Hill, Noah Ayers, and Caleb and Danny Buglia; his great aunts Elsie (Louis) Franklin, Karen (Brian) Herdman, Doris Davis, and Marie Blanton; his great uncles Dallas (Loretta) Clark and James (Gert) Hill; special family members Christine Browning, Susan Absher, Vern Miller, and Bruce, James and Scott Partridge; beloved pets Smokey, Brandi and MollyMolly; and numerous other cousins across the country.

He also leaves behind his grieving classmates and many of their parents as well as his teachers, his brothers from Phi Mu Delta – Longwood, and his beloved friends and former co-workers from Lowe’s, Gemini, and the Cumberland Animal Hospital.

Alex loved animals, guns, music and video games, but even more he loved helping his family and friends (who quickly became family) and learning. He was so thankful for the many teachers, professors and staff members who worked with him over the years in the Cumberland County Public School System and most recently at Longwood University.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to The John Alexander Blanton Memorial Fund to support educational and scholarship endeavors in Cumberland County, Virginia. Checks can be made payable to The John Alexander Blanton Memorial Fund, c/o Essex Bank, PO Box 178, Cumberland VA 23040. For those wishing to donate online using PayPal, please visit The John Alexander Blanton Memorial Fund page at paypal. me/pools/c/86dyTZNNBJ to make a donation of any amount.

All online donations will be transferred to the Essex Bank account and used as designated above. A memorial service will be held Saturday, August 18 at 2 p.m. at Cumberland Elementary School. Puckett Funeral Home is serving the family.