Services
Obituary
J.C. "Swede" Blackburn, 99, of Britt passed away Sunday, December 9, 2001 at the Hancock County Memorial Hospital in Britt, Iowa.
J.C. "Swede" Blackburn was born in Wilcox, Nebraska on February 25, 1902. He was son of Fred and Agnes (Samson) Blackburn. He was married to Elizabeth (Beth) Abraham in Smith Center, Kansas on August 20, 1924.
They made their home on a farm near Campbell, Nebraska struggling through the drought and the dust bowl of the early thirties. In 1939 they moved to a farm near Earlham, Iowa and in 1943, against all odds, they purchased a 240 -- acre farm in that area. In 1951 they bought a farm near Britt and purchased their present farm north of Britt in 1964 where they built their present home. In his later years he and the late Chris Rhiem, as partners bought and sold a number of farms and real estate.
Swede was an active member of the Odd Fellows Lodge and belonged to the United Methodist Church in Britt. He loved the land, farming, fishing and gardening. He was an avid card player and was well known at the local cribbage tournaments. Above all, he was a man of integrity who was stead fast in his loyalty to his family and friends.
He is survived by two daughters: Jo Tolley of Cape May, New Jersey and Beverlee Burnet of Britt who has made her home with Swede for the last 20 years; his brother Ralph and his sister Nina and Vearl Jensen of Hastings, Nebraska; one sister-in-law Maxine Thomsen of Springfield, Missouri; ten grandchildren Joyce and Nick Weiskopf of New York, New York, Kim and Jeffrey Gibbons of Cape May, New Jersey, Carol and Tom Hastings of Princeton, New Jersey, and Cindy Tolley of North Cape May, New Jersey, Michelle and Malcolm Leonard of Wilmington, North Carolina, Pam and Alex Biro of New Orleans, Louisiana, Wendy and Dave Ohman of Lake Bluff, Illinois, Douglas Burnet and fiancee Rebecca Willden of San Francisco, California, Donald and Leslie Burnet of Los Angeles, California; eighteen great grandchildren; three nieces Sue Shreck of Las Vegas, Nevada, Jeanne and Dick Foote of Reeds Spring, Missouri, Judy and Jim Vokac of Oak Brook, Illinois and two nephews Don and Pat Holt and Jim and Laurie Holt of Omaha, Nebraska.
He was preceded in death by his wife Beth in 2000, his parents, two sisters (one in infancy), two brothers, a son-in-law Bill Tolley in 2001, one nephew Bill Dawon, and a great grandson Ned Tolley Gibbons in 1994.