Roy Junior (RJ) Blackburn passed away July 1st, 2020.
Everyone liked RJ. If you met him, you knew why. He was kind, gentle, patient, & a great listener. He could find a silver lining in the darkest cloud & show you how to see it, too. He gave the best hugs, like each might be his last. He fried the tastiest catfish you’d ever eat. He loved with his whole heart, just like his mama.
Dad was the quietest person I ever knew. When he spoke, he’d thought carefully about those words & you could take them to heart. He was a gentle soul; the calm in any storm, unshakeable. His pocketknife was always razor-sharp & he could shoot a fly at 100 yards, but he didn’t kill a thing he didn’t need to, hated waste, & would give you the shirt off his back (or the fish out of his freezer).
Daddy never met a rule he didn’t bend. He fished with a telephone, hunted with a spotlight year round, & raised McCurtain Co. Gold by the light of a harvest moon. He loved classic rock, Lee’s Chinese, westerns, & the outdoors. Fishing, hunting, camping, rock picking, frog gigging, gardening, walking – he needed to be outside. Clearly descended from the Jolly Green Giant himself, Dad could resurrect a plant that the Walmart garden center had given up for dead. He loved wild women, especially my mother. He was the still water to her wildfire. He had a glass of ice water in hand, a pocket full of candy, & a can of vi-eenie sausages in his truck at all times. Right now, he’s asking St. Peter if Heaven has a garden, & do they need a hand in the greenhouse.
He memory lives on in the hearts of countless family and friends, especially his siblings, Gerri (& Bill) Chapman, Sam (& BJ) Blackburn, Bonnie (& EW) Jennings, & Vada (& Jim) Stark, son Jerame Blackburn, daughter Ashley (& Ricky) Deen, and the joys of his life, his grandbabies, Presley & Payton Blackburn, & Alex, Becca, Tori, & Sarah Deen.
He was met on the other side by all who went to prepare a place, & he rejoiced to see his daddy, Sam Blackburn, & his three favorite women: his mother, Frances, baby sister, Alleene, & his other half, Patricia.
Arrangements are entrusted to A Natural State Funeral Service, 2620 West Main Street, Jacksonville, Arkansas. 501-982-3400
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