THOMASTON — Stephen Russell Blackman, 79, beloved husband of Virginia L. Blackman, was carried by the Lord Jesus Christ into His eternal presence on Thursday, September 9, 2021, in the comfort of his home, with his wife and loved ones by his side. 
 
Steve was born on July 13, 1942, the son of Marjorie Beryl Herrick and Fred Blackman in Rockland, Maine.  Steve’s father served with valor in the Pacific theater during World War II and was killed in action shortly before the end of the war.  His grandparents, Frank and Verna Herrick and Arthur and Olive Blackman, were very involved in his life during his formative years, and Steve and his cousins remained very close during his entire life.
 
Steve’s mother worked hard to raise him as a single parent for over five years, before she met and married Luther Bickmore, who became a second father to Steve. God demonstrated His faithfulness to Steve in providing this second godly home for him to be raised in, and Steve professed his faith in Christ as a young man in First Baptist Church of Rockland.
 
After graduation from Rockland District High School, Steve studied at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, and then at the New York Institute of Photography, before being drafted into military service in the U.S. Army during the Viet Nam War. Steve served as a radio and teletypewriter operator at the Schofield Barracks on Oahu, Hawaii, and received the National Defense Service Medal at his discharge.
 
Steve met the love of his life, Virginia White, in Oxford, Massachusetts through mutual friends in 1962. They married in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1965 and were blessed with two children, James Stephen, born in 1967, and Renee Kealoha, born in 1971. While living on Oahu, Steve and Ginnie were members of International Baptist Church in Honolulu. Steve worked for Diamond Head Sprinklers on Oahu during those years, and then moved his family to Maui when he started his own business, Sprinklers Hawaii. After their move to Maui, Steve and Ginnie were members of Kihei Baptist Chapel.
 
Relocating his family back to his hometown of Rockland in 1986, Steve worked for Back Cove Yachts as the environmental safety compliance officer for many years, and he developed longstanding friendships with many of his colleagues there. During the years of their active involvement at Lakeview Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Steve and Ginnie have become dearly loved by their brothers and sisters in the faith. Throughout these years, Steve always testified to the faithfulness of Christ in his life, and he treasured the time that he had to study God’s Word and read the devotional writings of his favorite Puritan authors.
 
Steve is survived by his wife of 56 years, Virginia, his two children James Blackman and his wife Lynn of Thomaston, Maine and Renee Stanton and her husband Kevin of Wilmot, New Hampshire, his sixteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild; his sister Susan Lindemann and her husband Merlin of Nicholasville, Kentucky; sister Pamela Hughes and her husband John of Rockland, Maine; and twelve nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life service will be held Thursday, September 16, 2021, at 11 a.m., at Lakeview Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 188 Rockland Street, (Rt 17), Rockport. A reception will follow at the church.

For those unable to attend in person, a live-stream of Steve’s service will be available on his book of memories at www.bchfh.com. Please follow the link under Photos & Videos Tab then Watch Webcast.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Lakeview Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Arrangements are in the care of Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, Rockland.