Paul Blanchard (1956 – 2017)
Paul Blanchard was born in Dawson to Northern Tutchone parents Frank and Annie Blanchard. Paul and his siblings lived in Tr’ochëk, growing up with the Johnson’s large family, until they all moved into Dawson. Paul attended the Carcross residential school for five years and then went to Yukon Hall and attended F.H. Collins in Whitehorse where he met many who became life-long friends. With a push from his brother-in-law Chuck Bullen, Paul attended Yukon College and then apprenticed with Bent Gulstad at Parks Canada to achieve his journeyman carpentry ticket and then went on to get his Red Seal. Paul met Elaine in 1981. They were together for thirty-six years. Paul was very proud of his son Troy.1)
Paul worked at Forty Mile Historic Site [as a restoration carpenter] with his brothers Kevin and Ralph, and he worked for exploration companies. He took many training courses including those in plumbing and photography saying you are never too old to learn. He worked on the Finding Our Way Home scrapbook with fellow residential school survivors in the Kanacha group. He found he had a genuine green thumb when he worked at the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in farm. Paul was a gentle man with a heart of gold and will be truly missed.2)