John Gant Blanton

John Gant Blanton passed away on April 15, 2022, with his wife Norma and step-daughter Lisa at his side.  John was born on May 9, 1934, in Louisville, KY to Jack and Elizabeth Blanton and raised on a dairy farm in Anchorage, Ky.  He loved airplanes, vintage automobiles, motorcycles and anything with a motor.  After high school, John attended Western Kentucky University followed by two years in the Army.  He learned to fly at a very young age and earned both his aircraft mechanic’s license and his pilot’s license after which he decided he wanted to be a pilot for a living.  In the years following he worked as a corporate pilot until becoming a high-altitude aerial photography pilot.  In 1980 John moved to Lake Wales, Florida where he opened his own aerial photography business, ONMARK AERIAL SURVEY.  He retired in 1995 and he and Norma began traveling around the country on their motorcycle, in their RV, with their classic cars, and sometimes all of the above.  He was member of the Quiet Birdmen Lakeland Hangar and numerous classic car and aircraft organizations both nationally and in Florida.

John will be remembered for his expertise as a pilot, his mechanical talents and creativity, his sense of humor, his kindness and his love for friends and family.

John is survived by his loving wife, Norma, stepdaughter Lisa Sherman (Richard), stepson Douglas Linn (Kay) and a sister Elizabeth Smith.

To quote the words of John G. Morgan in his poem High Flight, “I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth and put out my hand and touched the face of God.”  Godspeed my love until we meet again.

A “Celebration of Life” is planned for a later date.