Blanca Bustamante Gervais

Blanca Bustamante Gervais, age 95, of Hockessin, Delaware, died peacefully on April 12, 2026 at Kentmere Rehabilitation and Nursing Care.

Blanca was born and raised in Mexico, where she lived until the age of twelve. She then moved with her family to Texas, remaining there through college at Texas Western. A visit to an uncle who worked for the Mexican consulate in New York City changed the course of her life—she quickly fell in love with the city and bid Texas farewell. By her early twenties, Blanca was working as a bilingual secretary and later as a translator for the Mexican government. She spent many years working on the 35th floor of Rockefeller Center and was even involved in early discussions with the head of Eastern Airlines when the first nonstop flight from Mexico City to New York was established.

Blanca met her husband, Albert Gervais, a Brooklyn native, at a wedding in New York. They shared 43 wonderful years of marriage before his passing in 2005. A Korean War veteran, he spoke fluent Spanish and German and practiced law in New York City until his retirement. Early in their marriage, the couple moved to Long Island, where they raised their family. Blanca left her career with the Mexican government to devote herself fully to her family—a role she embraced and truly enjoyed. After retirement, she and her husband traveled throughout Europe, cherishing every moment together and building a beautiful life filled with love and happiness.

A true New Yorker at heart, Blanca adored the city’s museums, Carnegie Hall, the opera, and the theatre. She had mixed feelings when her husband persuaded her to move to Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, for retirement, where she lived for about 15 years. Eventually, she decided to relocate to Delaware to be closer to her daughter and grandson. Her grandson was the apple of her eye!

Blanca lived by the philosophy “Live today, because you do not know what tomorrow will bring, and yesterday is gone.”

She is survived by her Son, Albert Gervais and Daughter in Law,  Aimi O’Connor of Sterling, Virginia and Nags Head, NC. She is also survived by her daughter, Anabelle O’Malley and her grandson, Ryan O’Malley.