Roma Lucille Guymon Blalock passed away May 13, 2019, at home in Vancouver, Washington.

Roma was born April 11, 1931 in Martinez, California, the first of four children of Albert Wight Guymon and Vera Lucile Storey. She was a happy, obedient child who loved caring for her younger siblings. Her only sister, Donna, was born when Roma was 12; Roma adored her and spent her own earnings on clothes for Donna. After her early school years in Martinez, Roma enjoyed two years in Boise, Idaho and graduated from high school in Stockton, California. She was a very pretty young woman, well liked by both boys and girls, and played the saxophone in the high school band. She briefly attended Brigham Young University and then became a telephone operator in California, working for some time at Lake Tahoe.

Roma married Robert William Carpenter in 1952; they had five children before divorcing. In 1965 Roma and the children moved to Richland, Washington, a city Roma came to love and consider her home though she always referred to herself as a “native Californian.” She married Roscoe William “Bill” Blalock, the love of her life and a kind stepfather to her children, in 1967; Bill passed away in 1984 after 17 happy years of marriage.

Roma loved being outdoors - gardening, eating dinner on the backyard picnic table, watching birds, and most of all, camping. Roma enjoyed garage sales, chatting with grocery store checkers, listening to Primary children sing in church, sending (only Hallmark) birthday cards to friends and acquaintances, country music, having her hair done, See’s candy, and serving others.

She was a life long member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and many of her most loved associations and experiences were through church. Her favorite calling was “compassionate service leader” though she also loved teaching young children in Sunday School.

Family was everything to Roma - besides her immediate family, she adored and was adored by her grandchildren, her children’s spouses, her aunts and uncles. Even in the later, physically challenging years of her life, she was never in so much pain that she wasn’t interested in the tiniest details of her family’s lives. 

Roma spent the last nine years of her life living with or near her children in both Spokane Valley, Washington and Vancouver, Washington.

Preceded in death by her parents and brother David Grant Guymon, husband Bill Blalock, daughter Suzanne Carpenter and great-grandson Luke Johnson. Survived by children Diane (Jeff) Kipp, Spokane Valley, WA; Carolyn (Gary) Johnson, Vancouver, WA; Julie (Joe) Kamps, Post Falls, ID; Rob (Alethea) Carpenter, Coeur d'Alene, ID; step-son John Blalock, Cheney, WA; 19 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren with three more arriving in 2019; sister Donna Kraus, Kennewick, WA; brother Richard (Dick) Guymon, Richland, WA; and numerous nieces and nephews and their families.

Funeral services for Roma will be held Saturday May 25, 2019 at 11 am at the Jadwin chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1321 Jadwin, Richland.

.