Blankenship remembered as a ‘warm-hearted community champion’
EL CENTRO — Timothy Gene Blankenship, a retired El Centro police lieutenant who was known as a humanitarian and an advocate for children, recently passed away at the age of 72 from COVID-19.
Blankenship was hospitalized at Sharp Hospital in Chula Vista for five days before passing away on Nov. 30, his wife, Rosie Delgado Blankenship, who recently retired as the county’s public administrator, explained Tuesday.
Tim Blankenship contributed to the local community in a variety of capacities, such as through his 34 years with the El Centro Police Department, his three years as a court-appointed special advocate and his numerous years doing volunteer work.
At home all along
For Blankenship, the Imperial Valley was home, and he spent his life trying to make it the best he possibly could.
He was born June 1, 1948, in the former Calexico Hospital.
He grew up in El Centro. He and his parents moved here and lived on the east side until his early teens before relocating within the city at various times.
In 1966, Blankenship graduated from Central Union High School, where he was a varsity diver.
Rosie Blankenship explained that her husband’s love for serving his community kept him here, as he dedicated his life to his career with the ECPD and his local volunteer work.
“Everywhere he went, he ran into someone he knew,” she said. “He was a regular at Costco and Vons. I disliked going shopping with him because it was always a social event for him.”
Outside of work, Blankenship enjoyed golfing. He would golf with his buddy, Sam Gaddis, on Wednesdays, and he would go solo on Mondays or Tuesdays.
He also enjoyed cycling the Silver Strand, taking walks along the beach, spending time with Rosie and sharing his Christian faith.
Blankenship had a strong faith in God. Some of his final faith professions occurred at Sharp, as he ministered to nurses and other medical professionals attending him.
“Tim had a real heart for God’s church and people, and he showed it by his interactions with others,” Walter Colace, pastor of Christ Community Church in El Centro, said.
The Blankenships attended Christ Community for a number of years.
Rosie contracted COVID at the same time her husband did and recovered.
The two were married on Jan. 1, 2005. They shared a life of love and service to their community.
Blankenship’s nickname for Rosie was “sweet baboo.”
The couple served the community together in a number of ways, including on the county Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council, as contributors with the El Centro Patriotic Planning Committee and for four years as commentators for the El Centro Mardi Gras parade.
In 2019, Rosie was diagnosed with cancer. She was able to battle through it and returned to work.
That year, she and Blankenship got a second home in Imperial Beach. The two lived in El Centro Monday through Friday and would stay at their Imperial Beach home on the weekends.
“He never really moved away,” Rosie noted. “We started selling our home in El Centro right before we got COVID with the idea that, when I retired at the end of the month, we would move to San Diego County permanently.”
34 years behind the badge
Blankenship joined ECPD in 1969 after graduating from a police academy held at Imperial Valley College.
He quickly rose through the ranks and became a sergeant in 1973.
In 1994, Blankenship became one of the few officers in the Valley to graduate from the FBI’s National Academy.
Four years later, he was promoted to lieutenant with the ECPD.
During his 34-year law enforcement career, Blankenship became a specialist in child abuse investigations and became the first officer in the county certified in that area.
Blankenship also received a certification in investigating violent crime and was a graduate of the California State University, Long Beach police middle management program.
During his police career, he also received several commendations. Additionally, Blankenship led the El Centro Police Auxiliary (PAX) and also was involved with ECPD’s Police Activities League (PAL).
“He retired at age 55,” Rosie said. “When the city offered the 3 percent at 50 to public safety personnel, he figured he had worked long enough to protect his community. It was either retire or die of a heart attack.”
Love for volunteering turns into second career
After his retiring from ECPD, Blankenship looked into volunteer work and how he could help people.
He served as a board member for IV Hope for Haiti, the Salvation Army and as an at-large member of the county’s AAA Advisory Council.
Blankenship also was active in the El Centro Kiwanis Club, and was the organization’s Kiwanian of the Year in 2002. He was president of the club in the 2018-19 year.
From 2016 to 2019, Blankenship was a court-appointed special advocate for youths in the county.
In a Facebook post after his death, CASA of Imperial County noted Blankenship “was a champion for foster children, always going above and beyond the call of duty. We are so saddened by this loss of such a warm-hearted community champion.”
His work in the community also netted him some significant honors.
In 2000, the NAACP in Imperial County awarded him its Black History Vanguard Award, and in 2019, Blankenship received the Stone of Hope Award from the Imperial Valley Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee. The award is presented to those who best exemplify the philosophies of the civil rights icon.
He became a mentor at the men’s home at New Creations in 2008 and continued there for seven years. New Creations, a ministry closely connected with Christ Community Church, is a drug recovery and rehabilitation program for men and women.
Colace noted Blankenship was “like a heat-seeking missile” when it came to assisting the men there in building their faith in God.
“These were the same kind of people he used to arrest,” Colace noted. “He had a real heart for those guys,” frequently bringing them ice cream and sitting down to chat about their lives.
As men were released from the New Creations home, Blankenship continued to work with them to bridge the gap as they began their new lives in society.
Blankenship, who graduated from the church’s I.V. School of Ministry in Biblical Studies in 2006, also helped build a men’s ministry at the church and coordinated a bicycle rehabilitation program for youths who live in the church’s neighborhood.
According to Rosie,
Tim Blankenship also trained teachers, administrators and other police departments in child abuse investigation techniques.
He was a board member of the Child Abuse Prevention Council for 25 years, and was instrumental with the start of the Children’s Fair at Bucklin Park.
“He said it was the toughest time in his career, yet the most rewarding,” Rosie said. “During this time, he met a lot of broken and hurting souls. He was passionate about this work. … On and off the clock, he made it possible for kids to have the resources they deserved: food, clothing, care, and shelter, but most importantly, a person they could trust.”
Rosie also related that Tim had the heart to assist children.
“He helped raise numerous kids, giving of his resources and time to ensure that they had what was needed to guide and train them, teaching them to stand for truth and justice,” she said. “He was so loving and caring, yet tough. No crossing the line. Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be
‘no’ type of guy. Black or white — absolutely no gray.”
Blankenship is survived by his daughter Karye (Adrian) Alvarado (Sunshine); Levi Sicairos, grandson (Bubba); Kai Alvarado, granddaughter (Princess); Troy Alvarado, grandson (Troy Boy); Destiny Rose Estrada, stepdaughter (Monkey); Faith Rose Estrada, stepdaughter (Bug); Adrian Francisco Estrada, grandson (Tator); Linda Blankenship, sister-in-law, and Cassandra Clements, niece.
He was preceded in death by Robert Howard Blankenship, brother; Lena Inez Marlin, mother, and Grover Jefferson Blankenship, father.
Services for Blankenship will take place on Jan. 9, with two separate events taking place that day in San Diego and in El Centro.