- Date Of Birth: February 3, 1936
- Date Of Death: January 4, 2017
- State: Arkansas
Raymond Marion Blackburn of Paragould died Jan. 4 after living 80 years.
Born Feb. 3, 1936 in Tuckerman to Oland and Frances, he married Jerry Dean Guffey on Jan. 21, 1971. A loving husband, father and grandfather, Blackburn’s legacy includes strong men unafraid to stand for their beliefs, and strong, independent women unafraid to change the world. His leadership help mold a registered nurse, a journalist and a Marine, among others.
Blackburn worked on his family’s cotton farm until joining the Navy. He then served on the U.S.S. Boxer as a gunner’s mate, and attended the Bikini Islands atom bomb tests. Blackburn served as a Boy Scout leader when his son became a Webelos Scout in Searcy. He helped his grandson win the “Raingutter Regatta,” where Scouts blow homemade boats down a rain gutter. As a longtime Optimist Club member, he made polish sausage and barbecue sandwiches at the White County Fair .
Blackburn often regaled others with stories about the Navy, tiger sharks and blue racer snakes. He also said his son thought the airplane Blackburn piloted around Sugarloaf Mountain was turning over, and his daughter mistook a yearling for a jackrabbit. Having a mischievous nature, Blackburn often “forgot” to mention his children’s age during these events and told the stories as if it happened during their adult years.
Preceded in death by sister Grace Lancaster and brother-in-law Frank Svochak, Blackburn’s survivors include wife, Jerry Guffey Blackburn of Paragould; son, Terry of Paragould and Tasha; daughter, Kimberely of Jonesboro; grandson, Joshua of Jonesboro and Sonya; granddaughters, Julia and Kayla of Paragould, and Rachel; sister, Jo Svochak of Euless, Texas; brother, Jerry of Tuckerman and Minnie; sister, Janis of Annandale, New Jersey; brother, Alvis of Lewisville, Texas, and Annetta; sister, Mary McGonigal of Collierville, Tennesse; brother, James of Cave City and Phyllis; brother, Charles of Austin and Jeanie; many nephews and nieces, a host of friends and a “furry daughter,” Abigail Rose, whom he affectionally called “Little Puppy.”
