Obituary of Gordon Blackburn

MOULTONBOROUGH, N.H.-Gordon Harold Blackburn passed away peacefully in the comfort of his home in Moultonborough, NH on Friday June 17, 2011. He was 77 years old. Born in Berea, Ohio on May 26, 1934, Gordon was raised in Framingham, MA and Middlebury, CT. He attended The Taft School, Watertown, CT and graduated from Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT where he enrolled in R.O.T.C. He was First Lieutenant Commanding Officer of the 68th Armor Division at Fort Carson, CO. Gordon joined the Sunbeam Corporation in Illinois and then Landers, Frary and Clark in New Britain, CT. He then joined General Electric's Housewares division where he was a pioneer in sourcing practices and business partnerships. Gordon retired from Black and Decker in 1993 and then started a private business venture, Blackburn International. Gordon was dedicated and tireless in whatever endeavor he undertook. Industry colleagues often described Gordon as a businessman with integrity, a sense of fairness, sound business judgment with a moral tenaciousness. His quick wit and diplomacy made him a skilled negotiator with US and overseas suppliers. He allowed all of us to laugh with him. Gordon is survived by his wife, Nijole (Valiunas)( Ishkanian), of Moultonborough, N.H., his daughter, Nancy D'Aloia, her husband John and their son Andrew , all of Colt's Neck, NJ, and their daughter, Kathleen of New York City and: his son, John, his wife Terry from Cheshire, CT their two daughters ,Nicole Cooper of Groton, CT and Stephanie Christino of New Britain, CT ; his son David of Chesire, CT; his sister Virginia Grandell, her husband George , of Middlebury, CT and his sister-in-law Mary Hendry and her husband Douglas from Wareham, MA. The family expresses grateful appreciation for the extraordinary care provided to Gordon in recent months by Community Health and Hospice Care from Laconia, NH and his dedicated, independent caregivers - Paula Boudreau and Alicia Childers. His funeral will be held on Thursday June 23, 2011 at 10:15 a.m. from the Alderson Funeral Home of Naugatuck, 201 Meadow St. and proceed to St. John of the Cross Church, Whittemore Rd. Middlebury for a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. Burial will follow in Middlebury Cemetery, Cemetery Rd. Friends may call at the funeral home on Thursday from 9 a.m. until the procession leaves for Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to: Community Health & Hospice, Inc. 780 North Main St., Laconia, NH 03246 For further information or to send an email condolence, go to www.aldersonfuneralhomes.com.