April 12, 2021
Blanche P. Messick, 92, of Rehoboth Beach, formerly of Centreville, passed away Wednesday, April 7, 2021, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in New York City to the late Harry Pack and his wife Anna Obzut Pack.
As the child of a Russian Jewish immigrant father and a first-generation American, Polish Catholic mother, Blanche had a deep-seated awareness of the value of every person. Eventually her family moved to Sussex County where they were pioneers in the early poultry industry. Later they owned the Bottle & Cork for 14 years until 1969. That was where Blanche met the love of her life, Larry Messick, the trumpet player in a Dixieland band. They married in 1964 and shared a family of five children. For over 20 years Blanche was a fiercely dedicated and beloved preschool teacher at Tower Hill School.