Clarence Finley Blanton, lieutenant colonel, USAF, 46, died on March 11, 1968, at a radar site on a mile-high mountain in Laos. He was born in El Reno, Okla., on Sept. 1, 1921, and was predeceased by his parents and a brother.

Known as Finley to his family and friends in El Reno, he was known to those in the military as “Bill.” He served his country for over 26 years.

Survivors include his wife Norma Knight Blanton, of Hot Springs; daughter, Karen Daughty, of El Reno; two grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren, as well as a sister, Ruth Davis Durr, of Dodge City, Kan., and an aunt, Mary Finley Williams, of Arkansas City, Kan.

Services will be at the Wesley United Methodist Church in El Reno at 10 a.m. on Sept. 15 followed by military honors at the El Reno Cemetery.



Published: 09/11/2012