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Morris Blankenbaker 1942 - 1975

Morris Ray Blankenbaker was born on December 16, 1942 in Yakima, Yakima County, Washington United States to Ned Leo Blankenbaker and Olive Ruth Blankenbaker. He married Dee Ann (Hammerstad) in in Yakima, Condado de Yakima County Estados Unidos, and died at age 32 years old in November 1975 in Yakima, Yakima County. Morris Blankenbaker was buried at Tahoma Cemetery 1802 Tahoma Ave, in Yakima.

Morris Ray Blankenbaker

1963 Pullman Road, Pullman, Whitman County, WA, USA

December 16, 1942

Yakima, Yakima County, Washington, United States

November 1975

Yakima, Yakima County, Washington, United States

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Morris Blankenbaker Morris Blankenbaker (1942 - 1975)

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Morris Ray Blankenbaker's History: 1942 - 1975

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Introduction

Morris Ray Blankenbaker is the son of Olive Ruth Blankenbaker (1910-2005) and Ned Leo Blankenbaker (1907-1985). He was born on December 16th, 1942 in Yakima, Washington, USA. He graduated from Davis High School in 1961, was voted "Best Athlete of the Year", and awarded a four-year scholarship to Washington State University where he played halfback for their football team. After college he married Dee Ann Hammerstad on August 23, 1965 in Yakima, Washington. Morris received multiple offers to go pro in football after college, but instead he decided to accept a position as a teacher/coach at Wapato Intermediate School, not far from his hometown of Yakima. Morris and Dee Ann had two children together, and looked like they had a perfect marriage. The two were married for almost ten years, but ultimately divorced on June 27, 1974. Christmas Day 1975, Blankenbaker was murdered and found dead by his ex wife on his front lawn and was reportedly shot as he came home from a Yakima tavern where he worked part-time. His murder and another, Gabby Moore, were linked, as both victims were physical education teachers, graduates of Davis High School, and had their ex wife Dee Ann in common. Apparently Dee Ann and Blankenbaker had reconciled shortly before his death, police said. Read more here: Yakima Slayings Linked and Davis wrestling coach Moore shot to death . The true story of Morris's death was later found out to be planned by other victim, Gabby Moore and another man, circling around Moore never getting over their mutual ex wife, Dee Ann. See Murderer Found Guilty and Sentenced to Life in Prison.
12/16

1942

Birthday

December 16, 1942

Birthdate

Yakima, Yakima County, Washington United States

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Morris was a citizen of the United States and of partial Swedish decent. His father Ned Leo Blankenbaker (1907-1985) and paternal grandparents Robert Russell Blankenbaker (1869-1943) and Mattie Etta Hedges (born 1872) were from Illinois. Morris' mother Olive Ruth Blankenbaker (1910-2005) was from Washington state as was his maternal grandfather Ira Ray Morgan (1881-1947). His maternal grandmother Esther Anna Skarstedt (1882-1970) was from Skåne Sweden.
Nationality & Locations

Morris was born, raised, and spent his life in Yakima, Yakima, Washington, USA.
Early Life & Education

Morris graduated from Davis High school in 1961. He was awarded "Best Athlete of the Year" (football) and received a 4 year scholarship to play football at Washington State University.
Professional Career

After playing college football, he received offers to go pro, but he decided to accept a job as a teacher and coach at Wapato High School near his hometown. He also worked part-time at the Yakima tavern.
Personal Life & Family

In his younger years Morris was an exceptional football player. When he graduated Davis High School in 1961 he was voted the best athlete, and attended Washington State University on a four-year scholarship playing as halfback for the Cougars. See Washington State Cougars 1963 yearbook for a photo from Washington State University in 1963. He received offers to play professional football, but instead decided to marry Dee Ann and teach physical education at the Wapato High School. On November 21st, 1976 the Daily News (New York, New York) wrote a piece detailing the true story of his murder, and it says: "Certainly Morris Blankenbaker seemed to be a winner. When he was graduated from high school in 1961 he was voted "Best Athlete of the Year" and awarded a four-year scholarship to Washington State University where he played halfback for the Cougars. After college, he married raven-haired Dee Ann, a petite but voluptuous beauty. Blankenbaker received offers to turn pro but instead settled comfortably into a post as teacher-coach at Wapato Intermediate School, not far from Yakima. Dee Ann was smart enough to find work in a local bank where she was elevated to a post in the trust department. They had two children. It looked like a perfect marriage". Morris and Dee Ann eventually separated, and Dee Ann married Tom Glynn, a wrestling coach at Davis High School. Dee Ann and Morris were supposedly re-kindling their relationship when 33 year old Morris was found shot dead outside his home.
11/dd

1975

Death

November 1975

Death date

He was shot and murdered.

Cause of death

Yakima, Yakima County, Washington United States
Death location

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Gravesite & Burial

mm/dd/yyyy
Funeral date
Tahoma Cemetery 1802 Tahoma Ave, in Yakima, Yakima County, Washington 98902, United States
Burial location
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Morris Blankenbaker lived 42 years shorter than the average family member when died at the age of 32.

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6 Memories, Stories & Photos about Morris

Daniel Pinna

10.5k+ favorites

01/19/2025

Washington State Cougars 1963 yearbook

In the 1963 Washington State University yearbook appears this photo of Morris Blankenbaker, halfback for the Cougars football team. On the same page it reads:

WSU - 24, Arizona State -24
Fourteen points down at halftime, the Cougars staged a remarkable last quarter comeback to tie the Sun Devils from Arizona State 24-24. The Sun Devils displayed amazing speed and showed from the beginning they were out to dominate the first half. When the Cougars took the field in the second half, they looked like a new team with their whole offense finally coming alive. Jerry Shaw snatched five passes, two of them for touchdowns. Hugh Campbell also caught five passes to raise his total for the first three games to 17.

Date & Place: 1963 at WSU Pullman 1815 Wilson Road, in Pullman, Whitman County, Washington 99163, United States

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Chris Carva

20 favorites

09/19/2023

What happen to Dee Ann Hammerstad ?

In 1975 this guy was shot dead and afterwords his killer was also murdered. This was all because Dee Ann was Morris's wife, then divorced him to be Glen's wife. Then divorced him and went back to Morris. Who was this woman that enchanted two men so deeply? What happend to her? Did she married again just once, more than once? Did she had more kids was she happy? What about the kids she already had?

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Lizzie Kunde

29.0k+ favorites

09/30/2022

Morris Blankenbaker and wife Dee Ann

Photo of Morris and his ex wife, Dee Ann from the Daily News Newspaper (Sunday November 21, 1976)

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

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Lizzie Kunde

29.0k+ favorites

09/30/2022

Murderer Found Guilty and Sentenced to Life in Prison

Tuffy Pleasant was arrested on suspicion of the two murders and now the mysteries behind the deaths of Blankenbaker and Moore were explained. In taped statements, Pleasant described how he had idolized his coach, Gabby Moore, the man who had promised that one day he, too, could be a coach at Davis High School Pleasant had seen the disintegration of his idol, his obsessive misery over Dee Ann, and had tried to talk him out of it. "It was Dee Ann this... Dee Ann that." Pleasant said.
"We were so close that what he felt, I felt. If he shed a tear, I shed a tear. This man, he's just tore up. He's not himself, just bleeding inside. He said, if you have a problem, you eliminate it. And Morris was his number one problem. Out of his admiration for his coach, out of his sympathy for the man's distress, Pleasant made a bloody pact. He would "eliminate" Moore's problem for him. Moore called him from the hospital on Nov. 21st and said, "Tonight's the night, while I'm in here." Pleasant borrowed the gun and went out to kill Blankenbaker.
The death of Moore, Pleasant said, was a bizarre extension of the pact. Moore was determined to divert Dee Ann's suspicion that he had played a role in the death of Blankenbaker. He became convinced that he had to suffer a wound from the same weapon so that she would believe someone else was bent on killing both her husbands. He wanted Pleasant to use the 22 pistol to shoot him, "just to wound him," in the shoulder. Then Moore planned to crawl across the street to Dee Ann's sister's house, winning both sympathy and freedom from suspicion. Pleasant said he had refused until Moore started to dial the police, threatening to report that it was Pleasant who had killed Blankenbaker. Trapped, Pleasant had agreed to the scenario. But, he said, Moore had drunk so much whisky to help him endure the pain of the wound that as the shot was fired at him he stumbled and the bullet penetrated lower than planned, and Gabby Moore had died, the victim of his own weird plan.
On August 29, a jury found Pleasant guilty of murder in the death of Blankenbaker and of manslaughter in the shooting of Moore, his beloved coach. He was sentenced to life for the murder and to 20 years for the manslaughter.

Publilhsed Sunday November 21, 1976 in the Daily News (New York, New York)

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Lizzie Kunde

29.0k+ favorites

09/30/2022

Davis wrestling coach Moore shot to death

YAKIMA - Glynn Moore, 44, well-known Yakima Davis High School wrestling coach, was found dead early Christmas Day of a gunshot wound. City police said today he had been shot with a small caliber gun and they are investigating the possibility the shooting might be related to the death of a former Davis athlete a month ago. Morris Blankenbaker, 32, a Wapato teacher, was found outside his Yakima residence Nov, 22 by his former wife Dee Ann Moore. He had been shot several times with a small caliber gun. Police said Mrs. Moore also was the former wife of Glynn Moore.
Police said Moore's son Mike, 16, returned to their home at 816 S. 19th Ave., about 1:10 a.m. Thursday and discovered Moors body inside the home. They said he had been shot by a single bullet which entered his chest from the left side, No gun was found. Police said Moore and his son lived together. Two other Moore children live with their mother, Moore's first wife, Mrs, Larry Pryse. Pryse is former head basket all coach at Davis High School and is an assistant football coach. Police said Moore was a mathematics teacher at Davis. He has taught since 1958. He coached several championship wrestling teams and was an assistant football coach.
Blankenbaker was shot as he came home from a Yakima tavern where he worked part-time. He was a 1961 Davis graduate. Mrs. Moore was recently divorced from Moore. Apparently she and Blankenbaker had reconciled shortly before his death, police said.

Published Friday December 26, 1975 in the Tri-City Herald Newspaper (Pasco, Washington)

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Lizzie Kunde

29.0k+ favorites

09/30/2022

Yakima Slayings Linked

YAKIMA (AP) Analysis of bullets used to kill two Yakima County physical education teachers should be completed by early next week. Prosecuting Atty. Jeffrey Sullivan said today. "It still is a very real possibility that they were both killed by the same person, or as part of a common scheme or plan." said Sullivan of the slayings.
The son of Davis High School wrestling coach Tom Glynn Moore, 44, found him Christmas morning in his home. He had been shot once in the chest by a 22-caliber weapon. Morris Blankenbaker, 32, a Wapato High School physical education instructor, was found dead on the lawn of his home on Nov. 22. He also had been shot and killed with a 22- caliber weapon.
The two are linked by a common former wife, Dee Ann Moore. She first was married to Blankenbaker, then to Moore, but, Sullivan said she apparently had resumed contact with Blankenbaker. "There were many other factors that connected these two in their death which were unique to them there is no general plan to kill school teachers" said Sullivan. "The other factors come out of and surround their marriage to this woman." Sullivan said no weapon has been found in either slaying.
No one has been arrested in connection with either of them. The bullets were sent to a crime laboratory in Spokane. Sullivan said examination of them has been postponed while the lab works on matters from other areas in which a person has already been taken into custody.

Published Wednesday December 31, 1975 in The Bellingham Herald (Belingham, Washington)

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