Lee Vernon Blackwell

Lee Vernon Blackwell passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Sunday, August 23, 2009, at the age of 22 of a previously undetected heart arrhythmia. At the time of his death, Lee was a corporal in the Marine Corps stationed in Oceanside, California. He had been a Marine for four years, had just reenlisted for another four, and was scheduled to be reassigned to the Norfolk, Virginia area.

Lee was born at 6:08 a.m. Sunday, February 1, 1987. He was the second of three children, but he never suffered from the Middle Child Syndrome. He lived it as a position of strength drawing his siblings to him. As his older sister Candice and younger brother Barry put it, “he was the core, the middle, and the glue.” Lee showed signs of inquisitiveness and intelligence at an early age. He was determined to figure out everything he could get his hands on – usually with some disassembly involved – which earned him the family nickname of “Curious George”. As a youth, he would spend much of his time exploring the woods behind the family home, riding bikes, playing basketball, and making new friends. He also played soccer, loved to swim, and played Pop Warner football for several years. Lee developed an interest in music and learned to play the trumpet. In middle school, he enjoyed playing computer games and spending long hours on the computer exploring its functions, uses, and how he could manipulate them.

Lee’s faith and charisma led him to be appointed lay reader for his boot camp platoon. The lay reader conducts worship services and reads scriptures for Marines when they are unable to make it to chapel. He served two tours in Iraq and was stationed at 29 Palms and Camp Pendleton in California. Lee graduated first in his Corporal Course and was his squad’s leader. His last assignment with the Marines was as a Command-Control-Communications-Computers Intelligence (C4I) Analyst in the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity. It’s a position requiring a secret security clearance and held by only 13 Marines in the Corps. His job was to ensure that Marines, operating anywhere in the world under any conditions, received support for their tactical communications equipment.

Lee loved spending time with his brother and sister and absolutely adored his niece, Aniyah, and spoiled her every chance he could. Unfortunately, he passed before meeting his youngest niece, Caliysse, who was born a few months before his death. He was brilliant and exuded his mother’s quirky nature. His parents and siblings were extremely proud of his personal growth, development, and accomplishments, and were sure to let him know at every opportunity. He personified the Blackwell family’s sense of humor and was always surrounded by smiles and laughter. Those who loved Lee also learned to love his sense of humor and tendency to be a practical joker, and yet he would readily become the voice of reason when the situation called for it. He enjoyed traveling and was able to see and appreciate the beauty in all people and circumstances. He had an insatiable, lifelong desire to understand and conquer everything around him particularly anything technical or computer-related. He loved a wide variety of music, sci-fi and action books and movies. He loved taking long hot showers, getting a good back scratch, rolling up in a blanket in front of the television or computer for hours, and especially his mom’s homemade macaroni and cheese.

In March 2009, Lee met and began dating Monica E. Jimenez. They fell in love and were married after a brief courtship. He enjoyed spending time with her and her family. He was a healthy and happy young man on the threshold of an exciting and rewarding life. His joy, laughter, and love will not be forgotten. His life will continue to be honored through the love and efforts of his family. If love could have saved him, he would have lived forever. As a family, we are committed to doing everything that we can to not let his death be in vain by bringing awareness to Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes.

– The Blackwell Family