Nancy C. Blackburn
Oct 16, 1942 -
Aug 1, 2022
Nancy C. Blackburn, 79, woman of God and loving mother of six, passed away on Aug. 1, 2022, with her loving daughter Cathy by her side.
A celebration of her life will be from 1:30-4:30 p.m., on Aug. 20, 2022, at Salvation Army Serendipity, 3550 E. 20th Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska.
Nancy was born on Oct. 16, 1942, in New Bedford, Mass. Although she struggled for years from a childhood illness, she continued to have a boisterous spirit and infectious smile that could light up any room.
Nancy was married to William Blackburn for 30 years and became widowed in July 2006. She moved to Alaska soon after, to live with her daughter Cathy, son-in-law Jayme Lavender and their six children. She attended Serendipity Day Facility for 10 years with Petra Rodriguez as her caregiver. In 2019, she lived at Heritage Place in Soldotna, Alaska.
Nancy was a kind woman and always loved family time. She also loved playing, and winning, in cards. She loved to sing and dance to Elvis Presley. Most evenings she watched Grey's Anatomy and snuggled with a warm blanket and her poodle, Missee.
She enjoyed and loved her friends and staff at both Serendipity and Heritage Place in Alaska. She also loved participating in activities and games, with bingo being her favorite. Nancy would get so excited and shout out anytime she hit a number or if she thought she won. There was never a dull moment when Nancy was around. Many times, she was sassy and very stubborn. If unhappy about something, or didn't want to take her meds, she didn't have a problem yelling choice words at staff or nurses to tell them off.
Nancy loved to dress in nice clothes, have her hair done, her nails painted and wear jewelry. If mom could have her way, she would be perfectly content eating pizza, ice cream and snuggle with her poodle and a warm blanket.
"God saw you getting tired, and a cure was not to be. So, He put his arms around you and whispered 'Come to Me.' With tearful eyes we watched you fade away and although we love you dearly, we could not ask you to stay. A golden heart stopped beating, your tender hands to rest, God took you home to prove to us He only takes the best."
Nancy was preceded in death by her mother, Dorothy Ferriera; husband, William Blackburn; and sons, Ricky and Eugene Cornell III.
She is survived by son, Robert J. Cornell of Anchorage; daughters, Cindy A. Cornell of Anchorage, Cheryl N. Cornell of Wasilla, and Catherine L. Lavender of Soldotna; granddaughters, Bobbie Perkins of Fairbanks, Tahanashi Price of Anchorage, Savannah Crabtree of Poway, Calif., Nicole Bon of Anchorage, Amanda Reed of Anchorage, Naomi Lavender of Vancouver, Wash., Jaylee Curtis of Anchorage, Kristina Cloud of Wasilla, and Gabrielle Lavender of Anchorage; grandsons, James Nelson and Noah Smith both of Anchorage, Jeremy Lavender of Juneau, Daniel Cornell of Wasilla, Jonathan and Joshua Nelson both of Anchorage, Trebor and Kenneth Cornell both of Palmer, Russell Cornell and Nathaniel Lavender both of Anchorage, and Joseph and Eric Cloud both of Wasilla; 10 great-grandchildren; sister, Carol A. Cornell of Freetown, Mass. and her beloved poodle, Missee.
Memorial donations may be sent to either Heritage Place, 232 W. Rockwell Ave., Soldotna, AK 99669; or Serendipity, 3550 E. 20th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99508.
Special love and thanks to all the staff at Serendipity Day Facility in Anchorage and Heritage Place in Soldotna for the exceptional love and unwavering care given to our mother through the year.
