Blanche Badger Willford

Blanche Badger Willford was born at home on a farm in Carbondale, Kansas on February 24, 1925, to Vern Albert Badger and Iras Gibbs Badger. She was the second of four daughters. She attended the one room Badgerville School until January 1936, when her family moved to Idaho, during the Great Depression. They settled in Lost River Valley near Darlington, Idaho, where she graduated from Mackay High School in 1943. That fall she entered Idaho Falls L.D.S. Hospital School of Nursing as a cadet nurse for WWII.

In December 1945, she married Aaron Dale Willford in Dillon, Montana. They rode a bus to Dillon, were married, and rode the bus back to Idaho Falls. Because she was married she couldn’t continue with the nursing school. Her daughter, Ardith, was born in 1946, and son, Terry was born in 1949. The family was living in Pocatello in June 1950, where she attended Sisters Of Mercy Hospital School of Nursing and in 1951, she became a Registered Nurse. In 1953, her son, Rick was born. She went to work at Bannock Memorial Hospital as an operating room nurse and later became the operating room supervisor and then went on to set up two departments the hospital needed for accreditation. During this time she was able to start taking classes at Idaho State University and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing in 1973, and a Master of Education in 1974. After over 23 years at the hospital she accepted a job with McDonald’s Corporation in their quality assurance department. She found a home she fell in love with and moved to Nampa to start her second career, where she became known as the “French Fry Queen” and her son Rick dubbed her “McMom.” She loved working for McDonald’s and was able to travel the world including Europe, Canada and the United States helping McDonald’s with potatoes and their french fry quality. Blanche always wanted to learn new things and as an adult she took china painting and piano lessons and was a member of the Nampa Musical. She won ribbons at the Western Idaho State Fair for her china painting and beautiful crocheted bedspreads, which are now family heirlooms. She always had a garden and canned all kinds of vegetables and made wonderful pickles and salsa. She was very proud of her children and her grandchildren and always encouraged them to get an education and taught them a strong work ethic by example.

She is survived by her daughter, Ardith Hinkel (Robert); son, Terry Willford (Jennifer Traughber); grandchildren, Hollie Gilbert, TaMara Poole, Joshua Willford, Jason Willford and Mike Johnson and their families; two great grandsons, a great granddaughter, and a great great grandson. She loved her nieces and nephews who called her Aunt Sis because she was always Sis to her family. She was especially close to her niece, Joan Carroll. She was preceded in death by her son, Rick Willford; and her sisters, Barbara Harman, Mary Mace and LaVern Wells.

She will be interred in a vault she had placed near the Brady Chapel in Mountain View Cemetery in Pocatello, Idaho. Because of COVID 19 there will be no services. In lieu of flowers please invest toward your children and grandchildren’s education. Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.woodfuneralhome.com.