Quote · Morbid
Blanche Taylor Moore, The Oldest Woman on Death Row (Part 1)
Where this was said
The Marriage Unravels — Affairs and Dysfunction
At 20:48 · chapter starts 15:00
The late 1950s bring compounding crises: Flonnie files for divorce from P.D. citing abandonment, making the family the subject of Burlington gossip and deeply shaming Blanche. Meanwhile, after the birth of her second daughter, Blanche loses interest in James romantically and starts finding his now-controlled drinking and gambling more reminiscent of her hated father than the wild boy she married. By 1962 she begins a barely concealed affair with her Kroger boss Raymond Reed, using Tupperware party nights as cover to free her evenings. Author Jim Schutz's account paints a picture of escalating hypersexuality: Blanche flirts relentlessly at work, makes crude comments about men mid-Bible-discussion, and is described by Ash as having a 'barren fuck basket' when it comes to caring about anyone's opinion of her behavior.
Flonnie's 1959 divorce from P.D. Keyser, citing his abandonment, was publicly humiliating for the family in their small Burlington community and affected Blanche deeply.
