Obituary for Richard Blackwell

Richard Raymond Blackwell

November 8, 1961 – May 22, 2020

Richard Raymond Blackwell of Ponca City passed away on Friday, May 22, 2020. He was 58 years old.

Richard Eugene Blackwell and Betty Ann Blackwell welcomed Richard Raymond Blackwell into the world on November 8, 1961 in Groton, Connecticut. Richard grew up with his 5 brothers, sister, and half-sister. He loved telling his children stories from his childhood, most of which included walking uphill both ways in the snow to and from school just to remind them of how good they have it now.

Richard served his country in the United States Navy for 25 years. He loved traveling the world and was proud of his service. Talking with fellow Navy colleagues, they would tell you that he loved helping others and they all shared the same love of Starbucks coffee. Richard met various friends along the way, but one of his most cherished relationships was one that he met while deployed in the Philippines.

He married his main squeeze, Nesty Blackwell, of the Philippines, nearly 28 years ago. Richard fell instantly in love with Nesty but Nesty was far from impressed. Richard was bound and determined to be with Nesty and he was finally able to steal her heart. Richard and Nesty loved spending time together, driving around, escaping volcano eruptions while ironically listening to Thunderstruck by ACDC. Together they had three children, Jacque, Carrie, and Raymond, all of Ponca City. Each of them had a special bond with Richard, whether it was rapping to Eminem, cooking, or sharing a meal with each other. Life changed for Richard when he became a grandparent to Landon Wyatt. The two were inseparable – bonding over thin crust pizza and learning how to bake.

While attending First Lutheran school, the children became instant friends with the Lincoln family. This friendship lasted past high school and they became family. Richard considered Chelsea Rennie as his daughter. Together, Richard and Nesty helped Chelsea with her four children, Kellan, Jocelyn, Jensen, and Waylon. Richard loved Chelsea and her kids as his own, inviting them to family cook outs and making sure that they were taken care of.

After his retirement from the Navy, Richard pursued his many passions. He worked at Ponca City hospital for many years and volunteered at the Mission cooking for the community. Richard loved continuing his education. He took some classes at Northern Oklahoma College, completed a woodworking class at Pioneer Technology Center, and recently graduated from Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. He interned at Turtles, the best donut shop in Ponca City, where he eventually started working at as a baker before he passed.

Richard enjoyed the finer things in life – shopping at thrift stores for his oversized t-shirts and wearing his shoes ’til they couldn’t be worn anymore. He gave himself the finest haircuts to make sure absolutely no hair was on his head. One of his favorite things to do was to relax on his recliner and watch reruns of the Twilight Zone. As a point of pride, he purported to remember every meal he had eaten in his 58 years of life.

Richard was preceded in death by his father Richard, mother Betty, brother Tim, and nieces Paula and Gayla.

He is survived by his wife, Nesty Blackwell, 3 children, Jacque, Carrie, and Raymond, grandson, Landon, brothers, Roger Blackwell, Joe O’Gorman, David Blackwell, and Patrick Blackwell, sisters, Brenda Blackwell and Dendra Chavez, along with various nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held on Friday, May 29, 2020 at the Ponca City Church at 10:00 a.m. Honorary pallbearers will be: David Blackwell, Patrick Blackwell, Roger Blackwell, and Joe O’Gorman. Memorial donations may be made to Ponca City Church, 701 W. Chestnut Ave., Ponca City, OK 74601. For those unable to attend the celebration of life, a live stream of the event will be shown on the Trout Funeral Home website, www.troutfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements are under the direction of Trout Funeral Home & Crematory.

Source: Trout Funeral Home