NORTH CAROLINA, November 13 — Mae Harvey Blank, 91, died Monday evening, November 10, 2014 after an extended illness. She was born November 3, 1923 in Prince Edward County to Chapman Irby and Mattie Baker Harvey. A child of the Depression, she was raised in a close loving family with her five siblings with nearby aunts, uncles and cousins. She graduated from Darlington Heights School and Smithdeal Massey Business School.

During World War II she worked at the Surgeon General’s Office and the Pentagon in Washington, DC. On a visit to Walter Reed Army Hospital she met William Leonard Blank, a soldier recuperating from wounds received during the Battle of the Bulge. Months later, they were married.

Mr. Blank’s career took them to Alexandria and Roanoke, but for most of their life together, they made their home in Richmond. She was a member of the Disabled American Veterans auxiliary and was a volunteer at McGuire Veterans Hospital and Salem Veterans Hospital.

Mrs. Blank was a devoted and adoring wife for over 50 years. After her husband’s death in 2003, she returned to her roots in central Virginia and was a resident of the Woodland in Farmville. In 2012, she moved to Raleigh, NC to be closer to her daughter.

She is survived by a daughter, Linda Blank Berry and son-in-law, Tim of Raleigh, NC; three grandchildren, Ashley Sellner (Adam) of Charlotte, NC, Brooks Berry (Amy) of Zion Crossroads, and William Berry (Karen) of Denver, CO; great-grandchildren, Jack Sellner, Mae Sellner, Noah Berry, Lucas Berry and Emma Jean Berry; and nieces and nephews, Pat Stone of Keysville, Harvey Bryant of Severna Park, MD, Andrew Bryant of Park City, UT and Myrna Rooks of Richmond.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, November 15 at 11 a.m. at Spring Creek Baptist Church cemetery in Darlington Heights. The family will receive friends inside the church 30 minutes before the service.

Memorials may be made to Transitions LifeCare, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC or Spring Creek Church cemetery fund.

Shorter Funeral Home, Farmville, is in charge of arrangements. www.shorterfuneralhome.com