Marie Lavon Blackburn

Marie Lavon Blackburn (Wilson/Noe), 90, of Parsons passed away the morning of Sunday, October 20, 2024, at Good Samaritan Society in Parsons, KS.  Lavon was preceded by her husband, Marvin L. Blackburn on June 23 of this year.

Lavon was born on March 29, 1934, in Farlington, KS to Roy and Gladys (Carnall) Noe.  Lavon grew up and attended school in the Farlington area.  One of her fondest early memories as a young child was when they "camped" along a road on the edge of a potato field and had potatoes for supper and breakfast.  Times were hard so her father was a migratory farm worker.  They, as a family, would walk and hitchhike from Kansas, to Oklahoma, to Arkansas and back through Missouri to home in Farlington.

As a young lady she moved to Ogalala, NE where she met her first husband, Haskel C. Wilson. They moved to Denver, CO where there was promise of many job opportunities.  They settled at a campground in what is now Commerce City, a suburb of Denver. It is here that a local faithful pastor led them to salvation in Christ through his "door knocking ministry".  Haskel eventually found good steady work with a Rural Electric Association (REA) near Brighton, CO.  They were then able to afford a place in a newly developing mobile home park called, Space City.  It later became named Lochbuie (Lock-boo-ee).  They raised three boys, Micheal, Daniel and Paul.

Over the years while in Lochbuie, Lavon held a variety of jobs. From industrial egg gatherer, to hired house cleaning and eventually circuit board assembly work at Storage Technologies Cooperation in Broomfield, CO. While raising Mike and Danny in their early teen years, Lavon and her friend Helen also held Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) meetings for the local youth of the neighborhood.

After retiring and becoming empty nesters, they moved back to Altus, Arkansas where they cared for Haskel's aging mother.  While living in Arkansas Lavon got involved at a Seniors Citizen Hall where she helped cook and prepare lunches. Haskel passed away in November 1999, a few years after his mother.  Lavon's youngest son, Paul, helped her move to Parsons, Kansas to be closer to her brother, Robert and Dorothy Noe, and his family.

While in Parsons, Lavon again got involved at the Senior Citizen Hall preparing lunches as well as Senior Dances around the greater SEK area.  It was at one of these dances that Marvin and Lavon met.  After a short courtship which was made up of mostly senior dances, volunteering and socializing at the Parsons Senior Citizen Hall and attending church together, they got married in March of 2003.

Lavon is survived by four children, her youngest son, Paul Wilson and his wife, Andrea, of Papua New Guinea, Kent Blackburn and his wife, Teressa, of Dennis, Cheryl Thomas and her husband, Gene, of Altamont, Jason Langston and his wife, Taffy, of Parsons, and her brother, Robert Noe and his wife, Dorthy, of Farlington; 14 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; a great-great-grandchild; and several nieces and nephews.

Lavon was preceded in death by her first husband, Haskel C. Wilson; her second husband, Marvin L. Blackburn; five children, Phil Blackburn, Mike Langston, Janice Cummings, Mike Wilson and Dan Wilson; two grandchildren, Justin Langston and Chase Langston; a great grandchild, Ridge Blackburn.

There will be a small family memorial as per her wishes.

Memorials are suggested to Altoona Days Association to help support the senior citizens dances that Lavon and Marvin enjoyed being a part of. These may be left at or mailed to Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home, P.O. Box 374, Parsons, KS  67357.