Brian David Blackmore

 It's been quite some time since I published anything on my blog. Life has interfered in many ways.

Unfortunately, I am posting an obituary for our son, Brian David Blackmore. (1970-2022). This is a difficult time, but I wanted to honor him. 

               

Brian David Blackmore

1970-2022

Brian David Blackmore, 52, left us on July 24, 2022. He died in an accident in Montana, while he and his family were on a working vacation.

 His love for his family was passionate, fur-babies included. He will be remembered as an incredibly amazing husband, attentive father, and a compassionate man towards those who were hurting or in need. He was well-respected in the community for being a man of integrity, doing the right thing whether anyone was looking or not. He was an accomplished business owner of Blackmore Electrical, Inc. in Anza, California.

 He enjoyed camping, fishing, barbequing, gardening, building computers, woodworking, and participating in the community. Brian volunteered as an AYSO coach and referee when the program first came to Anza. Later, he was the Hamilton High School soccer coach for 6 years.

He was most proud of his service in the U.S. Army, serving as “Doc” in Panama in “Operation Just Cause.” His military training never left him; he was always alert and on guard for threats and ready to act, to protect those who needed it. Brian, a native Arizonan, lived in Tempe, Arizona, until he enlisted in the U.S. Army, after he graduated from McClintock High School.

Brian is survived by his wife Brooke Blackmore, his children Hunter, Lucas and Karelyn Blackmore, Taylor and David Isaacs; his parents Walt and Karen Blackmore of Tempe, his sister Katherine (Todd) Gudgel of Tempe; aunts, uncles and cousins and so many friends that it is impossible to list them all.

A Celebration of Life party will be held on Saturday, September 17, from 5-8 pm at Minor Park in Anza, California. Interment is planned for Riverside National Cemetery at a future date.

Donations in Brian’s name may be made to Hamilton High School, ASB, earmarked for soccer. Checks are best and the address is 57430 Mitchell Rd, Anza, CA 92539; or to Wounded Warrior Project.

2016 Jamboree Notes

I haven't blogged for months. But that's "neither here or there" as I've been told in the past. It just is!

This Jamboree was different but just as great. We missed some people who had other commitments,  but have a lot of others who have provided us with so many great ideas for researching. Thank you, Speakers, for all of your time and effort.

I want to mention that I spoke with two ladies from the Spokane area, Mary and Nancy. They are both thinking about blogging. I gave them some basic information and encouraged them to look into Geneabloggers, of course. They are first-time Jamboree attendees and are having such a good time that they already are planning on coming back next year. I'm hoping to see them again tomorrow and see how their evening looking into blogging platforms, etc. went.

And, oh, do I have a lot of work to do. Even though this was my 8th (I think) Jamboree, I still learned some techniques that I really MUST use because I'm sure that they will help me improve my research skills and find information about some of those elusive ancestors.

PLEASE!!! Don't Drink and Drive OR Be a Distracted Driver

If you saw a news piece about a woman who was running on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, before The Rose Parade on New Year's Day, who was hit by a woman who was allegedly drunk, please realize that this woman (runner) was my sister. My sister is a part of Team-In-Training and she trains and then races to raise funds for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society.

This morning was a "fun" run. The group runs the route of the Rose Parade, backwards, beginning about 5-5:30 in the morning. They then take a shuttle back to their cars and go to breakfast together. This is an event that has occurred for 14 years. The road is closed off from vehicle traffic beginning about 10 pm on New Year's Eve. So there should never be a problem. The runners are very close and they made sure that my sister was taken care of, that her cats were cared for, and that our family was notified. This group is very special!!!

Fortunately, my sister is doing fairly well, although she is still in ICU. Our family is strong. My son and daughter-in-law made arrangements for the care of their four children and drove 3 hours to be with their aunt. My brother and sister-in-law drove 6 hours to be with their sister and sister-in-law. My mother is staying at home, for the moment, because the traveling would be difficult for her. My niece, my sister's daughter, who lives in Hawaii, can't fly immediately. She's waiting until her Mom is out of the hospital, etc. I am waiting to find out what is the best way I can help, before I drive 8+ hours.

There may be something good that occurred in this horrible experience. My sister seems to be recovering without any major injuries, as far as we know. However, if the woman had NOT swerved left and hit my sister, and then swerved right after she hit my sister, she would have run over an entire family sitting on the curb on Colorado Boulevard, early, staking out a space in order to watch THE ROSE PARADE.

We, as genealogists, see/hear so many stories about our families. Sometimes I forget to consider the consequences of the other family members. I get so involved in the stories. This brought things a little closer to home.

So, please don't drink and drive. Or use any devices that make you a "distracted driver."

P.S. Yes, I'm very emotional right now. If I had a week or two to think about the event, I might have written this differently. But with this being the new year, and many people making resolutions, I'm asking that you all consider Not drinking, or using any distracting device, while driving.

THANK YOU. The life you don't hurt may be the relative of one of us.

GRIP 2015 - Sunday - Before Check in

GRIP 2015 Second Session begins in a few hours!!!

I arrived in Pittsburgh yesterday, Saturday, with two other GRIP attendees from Arizona: Michelle and Janet. The weather is beautiful, although slightly humid. It sounds funny to hear people talking about how hot it is. For locals, I guess it is.

I slept on and off, after all there is a 3 hour time difference. Last night 10 pm  seemed very early to go to bed; AND 6:30 this morning seemed EXTREMELY early to get up. Hopefully, tomorrow, Monday, will be easier.

Michelle and I are in a hotel and Janet is staying with a cousin of her husband's. Judy was kind enough to pick up all three of us yesterday at the airport and she's going to transport us to LaRoche this afternoon.

I haven't found anything I forgot to pack. But I'll wait until after moving into the dorm, to see what I left at home that should have been in my suitcase.

I'm still trying to figure out how to down load GoogleDrive files onto my computer. I think I figured out how to do each individual pdf file, but I was hoping there is an easier way to download by folders. I don't know how much access I will need during the class, so I may just wait until tomorrow and ask. Or perhaps ask at dinner tonight.

I am looking forward so seeing all of you and sharing information and friendships. Have a great week, GRIP Attendees.

GRIP 2015 - Packing Ideas

I'm leaving for GRIP (Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh) in 6 days. I fly on Saturday because I prefer trying to adjust to the 3 hour time difference a day before classes begin.

 I'm flying so I can't bring all of the extras that those who drive can bring. So, what am I putting in my "pile" to pack? Of course, if you are driving or want to bring another suitcase, there are many items that would be nice to have that are not on this list.
- alarm clock
- ethernet cable OR hotspot - if you think you want to connect to the internet in your room
- a small clip-on lamp - many of the dorm rooms don't have a desk lamp
- a night light (this was a suggestion from a friend, Janet)
- extension cord with multiple plugs since you'll want to plug in your phone, computer, light, etc.
- a fitted sheet - Yes I know that they are provided, but this gives me another layer of fabric between  me and the mattress cover
- a drinking glass - if you want one when you brush your teeth, etc.
- hair dryer, shampoo, conditioner, etc. Also, body wash, hand soap and tissues - This is a dorm room, not a hotel
- rain jacket and/or umbrella - Yes, it does rain in Pittsburgh in July. The distance from the dorm to the classroom building isn't far, but sometimes the rain is heavy.
- layers of clothing - the classrooms may be warm or cold - so just be prepared

FYI - In the past the desserts in the cafeteria were sometimes difficult to pass up. And they had a very nice salad bar for lunch and dinner.

Bookstore (or college store) in the main building had Keurig coffees. Cost WAS $1.06 per cup (I don't know what it will be this year) but they didn't open until 9 am. However, this was a good place to get coffee during morning break.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you in Pittsburgh in one week.

SCGS Jamboree 2015 - DNA day is over

Today was a difficult day just because there were six sessions and the information can be challenging. But it was generally great.

 There were too many great topics and speakers to be able to fit everything in that I wanted to. Fortunately, almost half of the sessions were video taped, so I can purchase them and watch later. I forgot to bring a CD reader, so I can't download the syllabus. I need to remember that in the future. I did purchase the paper copy, so I can take notes on it. But I'd like to become proficient at taking notes on a digital copy of the syllabus. The disadvantage of that is that I can type with a regular keyboard; I'm not able to use the on-screen keyboard very effectively.

The lunch speaker and his video was very moving. Since I don't live in Southern California I don't know Chris Schauble from KTLA. But what a wonderful, moving story of finding his birth families.

I had dinner at George's Greek Restaurant, in the strip mall across from the Marriott. I thought about Amy Coffin while eating, since she introduced me to the place the first year I came to Jamboree. Thank you, Amy. I just wish you were here.

Now, it's time to start looking through tomorrow's presentations to decide which ones I'm going to attend.

If you are not at Jamboree, I hope you consider attending next year.

GRIP-2015 - I'll be there; will you?

I'll be at GRIP in July"learning a little law". GRIP is the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. The actual title of the course I'm taking is "Law School for Genealogists" and Judy Russell and Rick Sayre are teaching the course. I'm SOOOO excited to be going again. I had trouble deciding which course to sign up for, but I am in my first choice this year.

There is still room in many of the classes. In fact all of the classes in June, beginning June 28, have at least one vacancy, as of today. And in July, beginning July 19, only two of the six course offerings have wait lists. So there are many opportunities for summer learning.

For those of us living in Arizona, the humidity in Pittsburgh may be a challenge, but the cooler weather is great. Because Arizona does not go on Daylight Savings Time, the fact that it is light at 9 p.m. is a big change also. The campus of LaRoche College is beautiful and many attendees walk in the evenings, if they aren't just socializing, (OR doing some reading for the next day's class.)

If you have time in your schedule this summer, check out GRIP because I'd love to see you there. And if you can't attend this year, these are the courses announced for 2016. What a great variety!!!