A Life Well Lived

Jeannette Judy Blackburn, 82, of Groveland, Florida, went home to her Savior on Friday, March 13th at 2:57 pm. Jeannette was born on

October 11th, 1937 to Harry and Marjorie Judy in Minneola, Florida. She was the oldest of three and the only girl. Growing up, Jeannette was very active. She played basketball, was a cheerleader, and was a part of the ski club. Her cheer team won the first competition in central Florida. She was very well liked by most everyone she met. She was class president, homecoming queen, and valedictorian.

After graduating from Clermont High School in 1955, she went on to get an AA degree from Orlando Community College. After graduation, she went on to work many different jobs. She was secretary for an Orlandian Evangelist, worked at Jones 5 and 10 cent store, was director of childcare at Palm Springs Baptist, Principal at Palm Springs Baptist School, and director at the Wee Center. She started the Extended Day Enrichment Program (EDEP) in Lake County. Along with all this she helped her husband manage his plumbing business.

In their junior year of high school, she met James "Jim" Blackburn. The high school sweethearts married on September 21, 1957 twenty days before her twentieth birthday. They raised three boys: Mark, Rob, and Mitch over the years in West Palm Beach and eventually moved to Groveland in 1991. With a servant heart, Jeannette faithfully served her husband and family, modelling Christ in all she did. A devoted and faithful woman, she was the heart of the Blackburn family and helped shape the spiritual lives of her husband and boys and countless others.

Jeannette "retired" so she could spend more time with her grandchildren. She was the Grandma to the whole neighborhood. She volunteered countless hours at First Baptist Church on various committees and Mission boards. She cherished the relationships she had and nurtured them through instigation of reunions, intentional letter and phone calls, and went out of her way to visit friends and family. While in Hospice care she received 96 different visitors to which she shared personal stories and comforted each and every one of them. This was a small testament to the number of lives she has affected.

Jeannette is survived by her husband of 62 years James "Jim" Blackburn, her sons and daughters' in law: Mark & Teresa, Rob & Betty, and Mitch & Sandy Blackburn, her 14 grandchildren and their spouses, and her 4 beloved great grandchildren.

We are all sure she entered into Jesus' arms and heard him say " Well done my good and faithful servant."

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Jeanette's honor to The Mission Haiti, a cause which was near and dear to Jeanette. Please visit https://www.themissionhaiti.com/ for more information and to donate in her honor.