Michelle Blanford

[Howard4567@aol.com]

Michelle Blanford, known to her friends as Mickie, passed away this past week 
on Wednesday, June 9th.  She was involved in a helicopter accident north of 
Juneau, Alaska, where it crashed into a mountain top.  Her mother was with 
her, they were vacationing together; all aboard  the helicopter perished.

Mickie was an endurance rider.  She was a member of AERC and SEDRA and was 
the SEDRA Secretary two years ago.  She was, also, an adventurer.  She loved 
the outdoors and could survive for weeks with just a backpack and a pack of 
matches.  I envied her ability to camp, a skill she tried to teach me on 
several occassions.  She did get me started on long distance riding, and for 
that, I will be eternally grateful.  

She lived on my street in Ormond Beach, Florida.  We went through the fires 
together last summer and I watched her and her husband, literally, save their 
place with garden hoses, rakes, and shovels,  from the fires that surrounded 
her ranch.  She convinced me to evacuate our horses when things were looking 
pretty grim.  Mickie was a "doer," she made things happen.

I'm not sure when the services for her will be held.  The mountain where she 
crashed was a glacier and there have been problems recovering the body.  
Please email me if you want the family's address or any information that I 
have concerning Mickie.  I'm sorry to put this on here but, for some reason, 
I just felt I should.  

Sincerely,
Howard Bramhall


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