Celebrating the Life of Lee Blackmon

EDITOR’S NOTE: Here are the words from Lee Blackmon’s Celebration/Birthday Community gathering Feb. 19, 2024. We’ve included the life story presented by Carolyn Greenwood and the homily presented by Celeste Deveney at Nehalem Bay United Methodist Church as well as several other tributes.Link to the video slide show. And now, the work begins – every day to reach out to those in need … all hands on deck.

By Carolyn Greenwood

Lee Blackmon – February 19, 1068 – December 18, 2023
Celebrating Lee 2/19/24

Lee’s Life Journey

Good morning. I have the honor and privilege of speaking about Lee’s life story. Thank you all for being here. I hope we all find some comfort today by being together as a community who loved Lee and were lucky enough to have him in our lives.

“The Early Years”
The remarkable life of Lee Blackmon began in Newport Beach California on February 19, 1968. Today is his 56^th birthday.

When Lee was a toddler his family, which included his father Roy, Mother Martie and older sister Amy, moved to Redlands California where they stayed until Lee was in middle school.This is where Lee first developed a passion for film. The family watched old reel to reel movies from the library on their home movie projector.

Lee and his sister were very theatrical, always putting together shows. So Lee’s dad, Roy, built a theatre on the side of the house, and they performed for their parents and friends. Later, when Amy got a video camera for her birthday, they started filming their own movies. Starring the two of them as international spies, Mildred, and Broderick.

Lee later wrote several screenplays that he wanted to be made into movies, some of his favorite films were made with extremely low budgets. Malia told me that “Lee loved how art and ideas could be made with passion and not profit.”

Not surprisingly, Lee comes from a family of animal lovers and from an early age he developed an innate compassion for animals in need. At one point, the family had a total of 9 dogs and 11 cats (all rescued).

There are countless stories of Lee saving animals. We probably all know of at least one. I’m going to share some favorite stories that were told to me by his family.

When they were children living in Redlands, Lee and his sister Amy rescued a litter of abandoned kittens and raised them in a fort in their backyard. Amy said, “Lee had a canteen filled with milk and he would put it in little saucers for the kittens.”

Another family memory included rescuing an abused German Sheppard puppy from the neighbor next door who had left it in the snow with no shelter. Amy said, “we hoisted Lee over the fence to get the dog.” Then the family used 3 bottles of hair dye to turn the dog black so the neighbor wouldn’t recognize it.

His mom, Martie, told the story of when Lee was a teenager, and he found an injured pigeon. He told his parents that the vet said to feed it every 3 hours. So Lee and his father did just that, and when the pigeon was well again Lee took it to the wildlife rescue. The rescue was so impressed with lee and what he had done, that they later called to inform him that his pigeon was doing just fine and had become a father.

Lee’s dad Roy told the story of when Lee saw an injured seal on the beach in Rockaway. Lee sat with that seal for hours in the rain so that no one would touch it, and then laid with it all that night until help came the next day.

As we know, Lee also had a passion for soccer which started when he was about eight years old and continuing throughout his life. The family spent many years attending his games. He loved the sport so much that he even managed to get to the World Cup once as a volunteer. And for years he was known as “Coach Lee” to many children and families in our community.

“The Teens and Twenties”

When Lee was in middle school the family moved to Auburn Washington where Lee went to high school and met many of his best friends.

His next-door neighbor and classmate, Dixie said that Lee always marched to the beat of his own drum in high school. He was a class clown willing to make a fool of himself to make others laugh. She said, “Lee was no wall flower… Lee was a presence and a MOOD. He could command a room whenever he wanted as soon as he entered.”

A consummate salesman: Lee could sell anything to anyone! His first job was in the late 80’s just out of high school where he sold women’s shoes at Nordstrom.

He set a sales record for the number of shoes sold. In fact, he was such a good employee that Nordstrom hired him back three times over the years.

In the late 80’s and early 90’s while in his twenties, Lee worked as a flight attendant for Pan Am. This job would jumpstart his passion for travel. He traveled all over the world. His sister said the hardest part about being a flight attendant for Lee was giving up his hair products. She said, “his hair was so big, it was definitely 90’s rockstar hair.”

As you all know, Lee was a very unique individual. He was known to walk up to a complete stranger and carry on a half hour conversation.

Lee’s friend Mark remembered a trip to the LA/Hollywood area in their 20’s, when lee walked over to a couple of homeless people while his friends watched from a short distance.

Mark said, “We saw him laughing with them and to be honest we thought he was making fun or mocking them. Then, as we got closer, we saw that he had actually befriended them and talked to them like they were his best friends. They were laughing and shaking hands and then Lee gave them some money and said goodbye to them. I was so impressed that he had that kind of compassion for a group of people that most wouldn’t give the time of day.”

No matter what, Lee always made everyone feel welcome.

Mark told me that “Lee often talked about starting a smoothie bar.” He said, “this was before Jamba Juice and we thought he was crazy and just all talk, but he actually did it!”

It’s true. Lee’s juice bar business was called Extreme Blendz and was a huge success. They had 120 franchise stores, and were the preferred vendor for fitness centers like Golds Gym, World Gym and 24-hour fitness.

Lee just had this way of reinventing himself whenever he wanted to.

As the Founder and CEO of Extreme Blenz, he attended huge conferences for gym owners. His sister said, “Lee would give presentations while wearing sports gear, and then he would just casually throw on a feather Boa also.”

Amy told a funny story about how Lee was standing backstage at a Gold’s Gym convention, waiting to be introduced with his feather boa on. She said, “he goes out on stage and this arm goes around his shoulder and a voice says, “I like your boa.” It was Arnold Schwarzenegger.

She said, at that moment, Lee was like “who the hell am I and what am I doing here?”

“The Later Years”

Lee moved to the Oregon Coast in 2011, and that’s where he started Animal Haven by the Sea and became a treasured member of our community.

As his friend Heidi put it, “it wasn’t just his compassion for animals, it was also ‘”the travelers” he encountered, the kids and their sport teams, and the elders whose budget fell short of funds for needed repairs to their homes or medical care for their fur companions. He helped so many animals reunite with their families or get adopted by new families. He gave all of us the opportunity to help with these many missions. For all he gave, we have been truly blessed.”

Part of one’s legacy are the words people use to describe the time shared with you. In Lee’s case, these words really defined who he was as a person: loyal, selfless, friendly, passionate, loving, sparkly, shiny, enigmatic, unpredictable, loving, big hearted, welcoming, animated, and energetic to name just a few!

As Lee’s friend Doug puts it, “Lee was a spit fire, flying in and out faster than speedy Gonzales!”

But the one word mentioned over and over by all was… kind. You couldn’t find a kinder person than Lee.

If you ever gave Lee a gift, chances are it was re-gifted. Lee’s wife Malia learned early in their relationship that “personal gifts to him would be quickly given away.” She said, “giving him something to give was the real gift that would bring him happiness.”

Lee’s good friend Matt (owner of Four Paws) said he would thank Lee for showing him “a real-life example of a superhero.” He said, “Lee showed that it didn’t matter how things turn out, as long as even one person or animal was helped or had their lives improved,”

Lee’s friend Kenzie said she would thank him for teaching her the value in “picking someone up when they are down and struggling.”

Lee met his soulmate Malia ten years ago when he rescued her cat Bones after a coyote attack. Just before they were married, I asked Lee what he loved most about Malia. He said, “she is such a good human being. Malia is the purest soul I’ve ever met.”

When I asked Malia what she would thank Lee for, she said “I would thank Lee for picking me to be his wife, to share his thoughts, successes, his dark moments and his celebrations, his life, his family, and friends. Lee gave me a lifetime of love in every moment we shared.”

Lee’s sister Amy said she would thank her brother for being the best international spy. She said, “I’m just super proud of him and all that he did.”

His mother, Martie, talked about how selfless Lee was. She said, “he would go to the homeless and wash their feet and trim their nails and wash the animals.”

When I asked if there was anything she wanted me to share with you. She said, “I just hope that everybody continues the work, because I know that’s what he wants.”

On a personal note, Lee helped my mom, Gwendolyn, who was in her 80’s and lived in a 20-acre forest in Nehalem. He was there every Friday, clearing trails, building bridges, and hauling bark chips, and gravel. Always with a treat for the dogs and sometimes even a meal for her.

When my mom passed away two years ago, I saw Lee a couple weeks later. He walked up with a big smile on his face and said, “I bet your mom is rocking the afterlife!”

And that’s how I see Lee too. Rocking the afterlife surrounded by pigeons and seals, puppies, kittens, and all the beings that he helped during his time here on earth. I see him surrounded in love.

This gathering to honor and remember the bold life of Lee Blackmon, is a tribute to the man, the husband, the son, the brother, and the friend to many.

Let us continue to remember Lee, share stories, help others, and do good in our community and the world, as that will keep him always present in our lives.

Thank you.

A Guided Journey To Say Good-Bye

Between family and friends, this room is filled with an amazing abundance of love. I would like to invite everyone on a guided meditative journey to say good-bye to Lee in their own personal way.

To begin, you might want to close your eyes and take your mind to a quiet, peaceful place.

Please take a slow, deep breath and feel complete calmness wash over you from head to toe.

Visualize Lee in a place where you knew him well. Maybe it’s caring for a rescued animal with a wide smile on his face, on the soccer field coaching kids, helping someone in need, or at the beach, sunglasses on, walking his dog. He is wherever your mind takes you.

And now… feel the abundant love and gratitude that resides in your heart for Lee. With your fullest intent, send your love to Lee in celebration of his life on earth.

You can give him a message of thanks for being part of your life and find a moment to say anything that was left unspoken or needs repeating.

Reflect on the special times, the good times you spent with Lee.

And now, imagine the purest, brightest light bathing Lee in a luminous shroud, wrapping his essence, and your memories, in pure love.

With gratitude, we acknowledge the indelible imprint his life left behind and know his passion for giving and loving lives on within each of us.

We let Lee go – knowing he lived a full life, taught each of us by example, and learned all he needed during his walk on earth.

When you feel the sadness and pain of missing Lee, remember you can always visit him in this way, calling his spiritual essence to help comfort and ease the pain with the special memories you share.

Lee – We honor your life

We accept your departure

We cherish your memory

We release you, Lee, to your journey at hand but will hold our love and memories of your life always in our hearts.

When you are ready, please open your eyes, but continue to hold your love for Lee and all those memories closely in your thoughts.

Thank you.

Pastor Celeste Deveney’s Homily – Lee Blackmon:

I’m going to do a little informal straw poll here and by the way, you can raise both of your hands, if that’s your case but please keep them up for a moment. How many of you knew Lee through his work with animals? How many of you knew Lee through his work with the soccer program at NCRD? How many of you got to know him through his work with either homeless ministries, veteran’s programs, the CHILD Christmas gift program, the Food Pantry, or other social services?

Friends, look around. This is Lee we’re talking about and this is just one sign of his impact on our community. You can put your hands down.

Lee was and is that single drop of water landing in a still pool that sends a ripple. Those ripples will keep rippling. He touched people up and down the West Coast and in Eastern Europe.

One of his favorite books was The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein. It’s a book for kids and in it, a boy and an apple tree are best of friends. And as the boy grows, she gives him what she can, because she loves him so. She him her leaves to wear like a crown, her apples to sell, her branches to build a house, and her trunk to build a boat. Finally, she’s nothing but a stump, that the boy, grown to be an old man, stops to rest on. But she was happy through it all because she loved the boy so much.

If I was casting this book as a movie, I would cast Lee in the role of the tree. The one who gives and never counts giving as a burden, but as a joy.

In the final chapters of Matthew, the evangelist recorded the things Jesus taught in his final days, the days just before his arrest, trial and execution. It was as if, like a good teacher prepping his students for their final exams, Jesus wanted to nail home what was really important.

If you ever get a chance to, read the parable of two sons in Matthew 21. In it, Jesus told of a father who asked his two sons to go work in the vineyard. One son said he’d go, but he was all talk. He never did go. The other said he wouldn’t go to the vineyard, but changed his mind and went and did the work his father asked him to do.

Variations of that story – where God honors those who DO what God asks them to do – to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God – are told again and again in not only the gospels, but throughout the Bible. What we Do is important. Oh, we can talk a good talk. Be righteous and pious. But if we don’t act, we’re a clanging gong or a crashing cymbal. We’re just noise in human form.

Lee would do anything to help a friend and here’s the thing about Lee, he’d also do anything to help a stranger. Lee sought out people who needed help. He gave his time. He gave his money. He gave his stuff. He gave his care, and he gave his love.

But this paints a picture of Lee only as a saint. He was that for sure, but he was also a total goofball, as you just saw from that scene from Rooster Cogburn, and we need to celebrate that too. He loved books and he loved movies, especially scary ones, westerns, John Wayne and Bruce Lee movies. And Lee loved music of all kinds. Hip hop, jazz, rock and roll, Broadway musicals, Beethoven, Bach, you name it. He loved Halloween, and though I never saw them, I’ve heard his Halloween decorations were epic. He and Malia got married on Halloween in one of the most wonderful ceremonies I’ve ever seen. People were dressed up. There was as much candy as there were smiles.

And here’s the thing, to me and I hope to you, Lee lives in my mind in the present tense. Because, like the scripture that Steve read earlier says, “Nothing can separate us from the love of God.” Not even death. And God is a God of the living, not the dead.

I know that Lee believed in a higher power and that God’s Spirit lived within his beautiful soul. I believe that Lee lives still, in the world beyond this one right now.

This is what I’m imagining. I don’t see the next world as all of us relaxing on clouds wearing togas and playing harps. I think we’ll have work to do. Time to play. Friends to goof around with. Great food. Chocolate, of course. And birthday cake. And there will be animals we’ve loved. And I wonder if they’ll be able to talk, like in Narnia.

And so, I’m going to ask you again to please close your eyes again for just a moment. This where I see Lee right now. On a beautiful, beautiful pristine beach. There’s sunshine, and foamy waves, and Lee is surrounded by a pack of canine, feline, and avian friends who’ve gone before. And the dogs are all jumping on him and giving him kisses and telling him stories that usually begin with something like, “Hey Lee, do you remember that time I caught the frisbee you threw really far?” said by a Lab named Coco. Or “Hey Lee, do you have any of those raw hides on you that you used to give us, huh, huh, huh?” said by a chuiuia poodle mix named Scout, or maybe a long-haired house cat named Queenie strolls up to him with heavenly cat ennui and says, “Lee, I’ve got a new scratching post. You may pet me now.”

And I don’t know if they have raw hides in heaven, but I can see Lee smiling one of his great smiles that reached up to his eyes, and pulling treats out of his jeans and passing them out, and then congratulating the cat on her new scratching post before they all go hurdling down the beach in a pile of dogs, frisbees, tennis balls, possibly St. Francis, and Lee.

You can open your eyes now. My thoughts may seem silly, but to me, that’s how I see Lee. Exactly how I see him. Alive and still sharing his love and care with everyone he meets.

At an Irish Wake, it’s customary to celebrate a person’s three birthdays. The day the person is born on earth. The day that person is baptized. And the day the person is born in heaven. Today is Lee’s earthly birthday, and we get to celebrate that together with birthday cake, even as we look forward to that day we get to celebrate Lee’s birthday with him, in person, in the world beyond this one. And I’ll bet there’ll be birthday cake involved.

Thanks be to God for that promise of hope.

Today I will attend two memorials to honor and celebrate the life of my friend Lee, a man who made a huge impact in the lives of all he met- just by being himself- he changed lives, he saved lives- of animal and human alike- a champion for the underdog who was fearless in his commitment of service – and boy did he give his life to service- from coaching kids soccer, to the animal rescue he started, to the homeless, to veterans, to ALL- he made no judgments – just gave love He was one in a million and there will never be another like him. He is gone to soon, but in his short time here, he did the work of legions of men.

I miss Lee dearly- I miss his smile, his way of making you feel welcomed and worthy, I miss his playful spirit. I miss seeing him about town, every day. The world is a little less brighter since he left, my life is less bright- but his legacy will live on in the hearts and souls of his community- it will take all of us to fill the empty boots he left behind….all of us.

Please- make a commitment to help someone every day, even if it’s just a smile to someone as you pass by- let’s honor Lee by following his example. – Christy Kay

Today is Lee Blackmon’s birthday. It is also his memorial. I miss him. I miss having him drive by us while we were walking and toss a cookie out of his window for Edgar, Lilo, and Kirby. I miss bumping into him and talking about The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones. I miss the crazy, manic energy he brought to everything, all the time. I miss seeing his truck going back and forth across the county because I knew he was on his way to making someone’s day better. I miss him asking me how I was and the high fives or fist bumps and him saying “right on” when I told him life was good. As crazy as it sounds, there was a moment after we heard of his passing that we actually talked about leaving the neighborhood because the energy suddenly felt dimmed. But that would go against the entire ethos of Lee’s life: get out and make a difference. Fight the fight, be a voice for the silent, make your life count, make a place at the table for everyone. And that is what we will do. – Dan Haag