Loyal Blackwood

Loyal Ray Blackwood

Springfield, VA

Loyal Ray Blackwood passed through heaven's gates on December 1, 2015. He was the only child of Mary Lou (Espy) and Loyal Grady Blackwood. Born in 1925 and raised in Gadsden, Alabama, he attended Gadsden High School winning both the best dressed award and the Loving Cup for all around achievement. Loyal attended 12th Street Baptist Church where he met the love of his life Sue Jones in the choir loft.

In 1942 Loyal enlisted in the Navy and attended Tulane University for two years as part of the B-12 program. Further training took him to Northwestern University where he received his commission on Chicago's Navy Pier. From there, Loyal was assigned to the USS Compton, a destroyer headed for the South Pacific, where they provided anti-submarine and anti-aircraft support during the Battle of Okinawa. After the Japanese surrender, Loyal and the Compton accompanied the 3rd Fleet to Tokyo Bay for the formal end of war ceremony on the USS Missouri. Certified as a member of America's Greatest Generation, Loyal returned to the University of Alabama, earned his JD and in 1951 married Sue Jones, one of the gorgeous Jones sisters (there were six). The newlyweds-first assignment was to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Duty as a Navy-JAG officer took the Blackwood family to exotic ports of call around the world-New Orleans; Yokahama Bay, Japan; San Diego; Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay (where he worked for Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz); Naples, Italy (General Counsel for the US Navy Mediterranean 6th Fleet); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, (Loyal opened one of the Navy's first law centers as a Judge Advocate General); Taipei, Taiwan (where Loyal got to meet President Chiang Kai-shek several times). Loyal retired from the US Navy in 1972 with 30 years active duty. Loyal continued his legal career in a series of government positions: Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville Alabama; the Saudi Arabian National Guard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station in the Mojave Desert of California. In 1979 Loyal transitioned to the corporate world as legal counsel for Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) in Falls Church and Melbourne, FL and continued as an honored consultant well into his 80's.

Loyal and Sue enjoyed living in Ridgeland, MS for eight years before their final retirement to Greenspring Community in Springfield, VA.

Throughout his life, Loyal was a rare and devoted churchman. One of Loyal's favorite times was leading the Single Adults at Columbia Baptist Church, in Falls Church, VA. It grew tenfold under the leadership of Loyal and Sue. Loyal was a brilliant man who loved to discuss the theological content of sermons with his pastor. He was a foodie who enjoyed traveling, playing golf, and watching the Crimson Tide play SEC football. Loyal took great pride in his tomato garden, in Sue's ability to entertain, and in singing old Gospel favorites in Barbershop Quartets. He was profoundly allegiant to his Lord, his wife, his family, his friends, and his nation. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Sue Jones Blackwood; their daughters, Suzie Foote (Ashby) Jackson, MS; Mindy D'Alessandro (Duane) Oviedo, FL and Joni Foerter (Dave) Falls Church, VA; grandchildren, Nadia Caporaso (Marc), USAF Senior Airman Turner Foote, Sarah Ashby Norwood (Effrem), Stuart and Tommy Foote, Christopher, Lilly, Michael and James Foerter; great grandchildren Annabella Caporaso , Isabella Foote, Ocean and Forest Norwood. God bless the memory of his life with us and all who hold it in their hearts. Loyal will be interred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery this Spring 2016. Donations may be made to Christ United Methodist Church Sanctuary Choir, First Baptist Jackson Reflections Choir or the Salvation Army.