Gary Francis Blackman
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5A - January 7, 2012
Gary Francis Blackman,
78, Grand Junction, died Jan. 6,
2012, at St. Mary’s Hospital.
Visitation will be from 4 to
7 p.m. Tuesday at Callahan-Edfast
Mortuary.
Services will be at 1 p.m.
Wednesday at First Baptist
Church.
Mr. Blackman was a sales
executive.
Survivors include his wife, Janet;
one son, Jay D of Colorado
Springs; fi ve daughters, Christine
Healy of Vicenza, Italy, Connie
Lee of Plattsmouth, Neb.,
Cori Miller of Omaha, Neb.,
Cheri Chavez of Englewood,
and Babs Carter of Charlotte,
N.C.; one brother, Don of Beatrice,
Neb.; 14 grandchildren;
and 21 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions to
the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye
Bank, P.O. Box 6026, Aurora
80045.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3D - January 8, 2012
Gary F. Blackman, loving husband,
father and friend, died Friday,
January 6, 2012, at St.
Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction,
Colorado. The son of Francis
and Vivene Blackman, Gary
was born April 3, 1933, and grew
up in Tilden, Nebraska, with older
sister, Loralee and younger
brother, Don. He graduated from
Tilden High School in 1951.
Gary and his siblings spent much of their growing years helping
their parents create and publish the Citizen, Tilden's weekly newspaper.
He married Carole Hawkins that year and moved to Omaha,
where they began their family of six children and his career in advertising.
Gary worked in the print, radio and television media, then
turned his auto racing interest into a career and business - Auto
Raceland. Bringing years of dirt track racing and love of the sport to
his business venture, Raceland grew into a nationally-known enterprise
during the 70's.
In 1975, Gary moved to Colorado Springs to begin a new venture,
called Johnny Appleseed, a direct mail advertising entrepreneurship.
His active involvement in the business and civic community of the
Springs led him to meet and marry Janet Cox in 1986. Opportunity
in selling building materials took them to California for several
years, and then to Grand Junction in 2002, where he expanded his
selling into building and property management ventures, along with
taking an active leadership role in the local Lions Club and the Republican
party groups.
Gary had a lifelong love for auto racing and the Nebraska Corn
Huskers, and spent endless hours tending his gardens and yard.
Gary is survived by his wife, Janet; six children, Chris (Tom)
Healy of Vicenza, Italy; Connie (Bob) Lee of Plattsmouth, Nebraska;
Cori Miller of Omaha, Nebraska; Jay Blackman of Colorado
Springs, Colorado; Cheri (Frank) Chavez of Englewood, Colorado,
and Babs Carter of Charlotte, North Carolina; 14
grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren, and brother, Don (Kathy)
Blackman of Beatrice, Nebraska.
Visitation will be held at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary on Tuesday,
January 10, 2012 from 4 - 7:00 p.m. Funeral services will take place
on January 11, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church.
