Page 15 - New Mexico Summer 2022

Doc And Joanne:
The Farm Boy From Yuma And The City Girl From Greeley
An English class encounter, a baby blue motorcycle and a couple of seats in the balcony of the local movie house. For
one college couple in the ‘50s, that was a pretty good recipe for romance.
Leonard and Joanne Blach celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary last month in June. Theirs has been an adventurous and love- fueled union of contrasting backgrounds and personalities. She celebrated her 87th birthday on June 4 and he’ll turn 88 on July 30.
Joanne, a self-described city girl, grew up in Greeley, Colorado. Her dad was a sales rep
by Pete Herrera
for a pharmaceutical company, her mother a homemaker. She was an only child.
Leonard’s hometown was the small southeastern Colorado community of Yuma. His dad grew dry land wheat and ran about 200 cows in the sand hills around the town, which back then had a population of just under 2,000. Leonard was the youngest boy in a family of eight kids.
Until she met Leonard and decided he was “too cute and too cool” to pass up, Joanne Fulenwider had never been on a horse, much less a motorcycle. She’s a natural born worrier
who’s not inclined to take chances. But she’s socially gifted, loves a good party, and laughs easily and heartily.
Leonard Blach has been around horses and cattle all his life. He went to Colorado State University (CSU) and earned a degree in veterinary medicine. In a career that
has spanned nearly 60 years, the good
doctor built a reputation as one of the most innovative and respected vets in the country. As a breeder and race horse owner, he became a major contributor to New Mexico’s horse racing landscape.
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