Roland “Rolly” Blankenhorn, age 82, loving husband, father, and grandfather, passed away in the hospital September 30, 2025.
Rolly was born in Naperville, IL on April 14, 1943, to Sig and Hilde (Wagner) Blankenhorn. Rolly worked in the family display business in Chicago, IL. He met the love of his life, and future wife, Janesy (Blee) Blankenhorn, as a student at North Central College in Naperville (BA 1965). Rolly and Jan were married for more than 60 years. They lived in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood and then moved to Daphne, AL.
In the early 1980’s, Rolly started Horn Truck Rebuilders in Mobile, AL. Rolly was a mechanic and jack of all trades, who was always willing to help a friend or neighbor. The Alabama gulf coast was very special to Rolly, and he and Jan enjoyed years at their beach house in Fort Morgan, AL in the Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge.
Rolly is survived by his wife, Jan; and children, Rebecca (Graham Sanford), Eric (JoAnna), and Katherine (Stephanie Grabowsky) Blankenhorn. He will be missed by his grandchildren, Eris, Mari Alex, Alexander, and Eleanor. Rolly is also survived by his sister, Carol Field of Corvallis, OR; his nephews, Kevin and Thomas Field; and his cousin, Kim Votaw.
Family and friends will remember Rolly and try to abide by his frequent request: “Try to be nice to everybody, and don’t forget the way home.”
Hughes Funeral Home, 26209 Pollard Road, Daphne, AL, is assisting the family.
Rolly has left his mark on so many little things in my life. I’ll talk about the most prevalent one.
When I was little, he used to sit at the kitchen table with me and share pretzel rods while I did arts and crafts. I still eat pretzel rods like crazy. Every time I open a new bag of them, the smell transports me right back to that kitchen table.
I remember coloring in a felt-lined coloring sheet while he broke the pretzels into smaller chunks and slid them across the table to me. He’d ask questions about why I picked certain colors, always with a bright twinkle in his eye. As a kid, I could never figure out what that twinkle was about. Was he making fun of me? Was I doing something good? I sometimes worried that he was genuinely magic, and was up to some mischief much bigger than I could know. Now, as I look back, I can tell that he was genuinely having fun spending time with me. He was just as thrilled to spend an afternoon reading and breaking up pretzels for me as he was doing anything else. Or, he’s genuinely magic. I still haven’t ruled that out.