Morten Harley Blackburn

Mr. Morten Harley Blackburn, 92, of Roanoke, VA, passed away Sunday, June 24, 2007, at Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, VA. Mr. Blackburn was born February 1, 1915, in Surry County, NC, to the late Thomas A. and Laura Venable Blackburn. Mr. Blackburn served our country in the United States Navy during World War II. Morten worked at T.A. Tally, Jr. and Company for many years and later retired from DuPont in Richmond, VA. He was a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Richmond, VA. He is survived by three daughters and two sons-in-law, Judy and Jack Shortt, Jr. and Nancy Blackburn, all of Roanoke, VA, and Patricia and David Schulze of Morganton; a son and daughter-in-law, Ronald and Betty Blackburn of Richmond, VA; five grandchildren, Jessica Blackburn, John Charles James, II, Patrick Blackburn, Alicia Schulze, and Nicholas Schulze; a great-grandson, Brandon Harley James; and a host of nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Mr. Blackburn was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Kathleen Lambert Blackburn; four sisters, Maude Leonard, Sallie Easter, Anna Berrier, and Lula McCraw; and eight brothers, Charlie Blackburn, Orb Blackburn, Anderson Blackburn, Will Blackburn, Ellis Blackburn, Elmer Blackburn, Jesse Blackburn, and Edgar Blackburn. The funeral service will be held Wednesday, June 27, 2007, at 2:00 PM at New Bethel Baptist Church. The service will be conducted by the Rev. Jimmy McCraw, and burial will follow in the New Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery, with military honors by the VFW Memorial Honor Guard Post 2019 of Mount Airy and Post 9436 of Pilot Mountain. The family will receive friends Tuesday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at Moody Funeral Home in Mount Airy, NC. If desired, memorials may be made to New Bethel Baptist Church, c/o Freda Bryant, 1426 Bryant Road, Mount Airy, NC 27030. The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to Dr. Mac Scothorn and Dr. William Ball for their love, care, and kindness shown to Morten during his years of declining health. They would also like to thank the staff of Ukrops for the delicious food given to Morten for the past two months.