Cassandra Blocher

Cassandra, or Sandy, as she was known, was first child born to Mary Howard Benton and Henry Benton in Wilson, North Carolina.  Sandy and her mom were very close. At the ages of nine and ten respectively, Sandy became the big sister to Henry Jr. (Butch), Steven Benton (Steve). 

Sandy’s childhood, filled with love and joy, helped develop a confident and creative young lady. She graduated from Charles L Coon High School in 1953, after completing the college preparatory program. She was a member of the National Honors Society, which she achieved through the merits of her scholastic ability, leadership, service and character. Sandy also completed the Piano and Theory of Musical History program, conducted by Mrs. Ashe Hines. She then went on to higher education and attended and graduated from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virgina. 

To fulfill her interest in design, she went to New York City and studied under Tobé Coller Davis at the Tobé-Coburn School for Fashion Careers in Manhattan. Ms Tobé was the consulting think tank to fashion retailers and maintained the Tobé Report. Sandy completed a degree in Business and Fashion in 1956 and was hired as an assistant buyer for Davison-Paxon Company in Atlanta, Georgia.   

While in New York, she was introduced on a blind date to "Richard Kern". Later it was revealed that he was actually Bob Blocher.  Richard and Bob were attending West Point Academy and as a joke, swapped names with each other for their blind dates with Sandy and her roommate.  Sandy and Bob talked all night. He finally revealed his real name the next day, this began a love affair that would take them all over the world.  Bob graduated as a Lieutenant in 1956 and went to flight school at Marana Air base in Tucson, Arizona to become a F-100 pilot. Sandy went to Atlanta, and together they funded AT&T with their long distance phone calls. They became engaged in short time and were married at St. Timothy’s Episcopal church in Wilson, North Carolina on December 22, 1956. 

In 1961, Sandy and Bob welcomed their “miracle child” into the world while at Randolph Air Force base. Kathi was born. Then, in 1965, their second gift, Robynn was born while they were stationed at Lakenheath in England. Henceforth, the family shared a global journey to 20 different locales around the world. 

As a wife of a fighter pilot, Sandy endured a wife’s heroism living under the shadow of potential loss from his combat training, deployments, and veteran of two wars. Thankfully, Bob returned home alive from both the Korean and Vietnam (Misty12) wars.

Sandy was the family hearth. She created a home with each move and used her background in design to transform the interiors and gardens in each place they lived. She built a colorful jungle in her back yard on Oahu, where they were stationed for four years, their longest assignment. It included local fruit and nut trees landscaped with an amazing artful vision. This was the first home she and Bob owned, and they built it from the ground up, literally, breaking ground in Aiea Heights.  

Through the different assignments, Sandy also worked outside the home. In Hawaii, she curated and opened ‘The Designerie’ a consignment store for artists. She collaborated with six friends and enjoyed this business proprietorship experience fully. In Ohio, she was manager for JoAnn Fabrics retail shop. In Tucson, she worked in the premier jewelry store with Abbey Grunwald at Grunewald & Adams. 

After Grunwald & Adams closed their business of 89 years, Sandy went back to school and became a realtor and enjoyed helping people find their dream homes.  She was very successful and became a member of the million dollar club by selling over a million dollars in home inventory.   

Her most prized job, however, was the business she started with Bob. They became nut farmers. They moved from Tucson to Elfrida, Arizona and became operators of a commercial pecan orchard and grew it into a successful business, Blocher Orchards, LLC. They farmed 80 acres when they were in their 60s. Sandy contacted experts and university professors to ask them to educate herself about pecans and she became the one who nurtured the trees while Bob nurtured the business side. A hard worker, Sandy was known for picking up “twigs“ (that most people would call logs) to move them out of the pecan rows of the orchard. She also made amazing candies and pies with her nuts.

The money that they grew on those trees allowed them to build another new home in Quail Creek, an active senior community. Sadly, Bob “flew west” in 2014. Sandy survived and found joy herself through travel, being with friends and family, playing card games (bridge especially) and the ritual of reading the Wall Street Journal cover to cover with jet black coffee each morning. She continued to create her own hearth, even with the loss of her love of almost 60 years, and found a new rhythm for her life. She lived five years after Bob’s passing. 

Cassandra will be interred with Bob at Arlington National Cemetery April 1, 2022. She is survived by her brother Steve, cousin Anne, two daughters Kathi and Robynn, her grandchildren Alex (Kathi), and Tatianna and Kenny (Robynn), and her great grandchildren (Kenny).  She is so loved by her extended family as well. She will be remembered by all those who traveled along her path.