Margaret Ann Blackmon

1999 - 2020

Margaret (Maggie) Ann Blackmon

June 1999 - February 2020

A life intertwined with ribbons is undoubtedly a life well lived. Maggie's ever expanding silky rainbow hued collection attested not only to her love of horses, in particular her penchant for show jumping (ride fast, ride clean - don't knock the fence rails) but also served as waypoints lit by her friendship, compassion, intellect, unwavering sense of justice, and exceedingly sharp wit during her all too short time with us.

It is with heartbreak not only for what we have lost, but also for future accomplishments left unfulfilled that we mourn the loss of this beautiful and smart young woman who had only recently departed her home in Kitsap County, Washington for adventures and opportunities in the North Country of upstate New York at Saint Lawrence University.

Maggie was born June 10, 1999 in Medford, Oregon and moved with her parents and older brother to Kitsap County in 2002. She attended Brownsville Elementary, Ridgetop Junior High, and Olympic High School where she was also a running start student at Olympic College. She anchored the desk for the Ridgetop Raider Review, played violin in the orchestra, was on the Track and Field team, and excelled academically, graduating as an Olympic High School Trojan Scholar. Although a bit shy, her friends and teachers were often struck by her tenacity, loyalty, kind-heartedness, easily offered insights, willingness to volunteer, love of sarcasm and capacity for a truly world class eye-roll.

She loved books and became a voracious reader first manifest by a ridiculously brisk consumption of the entire Geronimo Stilton series in 3rd grade. She looked forward to her part-time work at a small independent book store in Poulsbo during her summer and holiday breaks from college.

She had a charmingly easy manor with animals (cats, in particular) and it was apparent early on that she was destined to become an equestrian. At the age of two or three, she protested loudly when her ride on the carrousel at the county fair came to an end - A conflict remedied with her parents repeatedly passing tickets to a disgruntled carnie for seemingly interminable successive rides. She first rode a live pony shortly thereafter and within a few months she was proudly announcing, "I was born to ride." She was riding regularly and taking lessons at a local barn by seven.

Efforts by her nervous (and equine naïve) parents to distract her with Kindermusik, art classes, soccer, basketball, softball, dance, musical theatre, swimming, and gymnastics were embraced with enthusiasm but did not dissuade her from her passion for riding, jumping, and eventually training horses. Gymnastics however, did prove useful on the rare occasions that she became "separated" from her saddle.

Regular lessons on a gentlemanly quarter horse named Roy led to a half-lease (and plenty of jokes about which half of the horse was leased). An indelible bond of love and trust evolved between horse and rider. In 4th grade she returned from school in tears having learned that Roy was for sale. By the time her unsuspecting father returned home from work that evening she had composed herself and, having read the lease, determinedly announced, "We have right of first refusal in the event of sale." Her parents, simultaneously terrified and proudly impressed that 4th grade Maggie had read the lease were clearly out-maneuvered. A brief conversation about the responsibilities of equine care ensued and Maggie owned her first horse.

Her equitation and confidence over fences soared as she progressed from lessons at a local barn, to 4-H at the County and State Fair, Pony Club, and USEF and USHJA sanction shows in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. Roy, hampered by arthritis retired to an easy life at pasture and Maggie developed a wonderful partnership with Jack, a big, athletic, hardworking, bay quarter horse who was eager and brave over fences even though such pursuits weren't really the strength of his bloodline. In the winter of her senior year, with college plans settled and Jack ready to stop jumping the fences she finally acquired the "fancy" horse of her dreams…Lucera Del Sol (Lucy) - A green but very promising and sweet Belgian Warmblood.

As she contemplated college her wish list included prestigious academics, small size, the adventure of a location far from home, and a top notch collegiate riding team. She found the perfect match at St. Lawrence University in the pastoral North Country of New York, nearly within hailing distance of the Canadians across the St. Lawrence River.

She embraced the biting cold and months of snow in the winter and found a welcoming academic home in the Anthropology department where she pursued her major with giddy enthusiasm. A developing sense of public service prompted a minor in Public Health and a discovered love of cinema led to an overloaded schedule to accommodate classes in Film Studies as a junior. Seeking to expand her experience, and overcoming more than a little trepidation, she moved to Boston the summer after her sophomore year to volunteer at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. She was a three year member of the St. Lawrence Riding Team aspiring to make their 10th consecutive appearance at the IHSA National Championship in May 2020. Beyond her obligations to her studies and teammates she spent countless hours at the barn working with her beloved Lucy to develop into a truly exceptional horse in large barn amongst a great many accomplished steeds.

She is survived by her parents; Griffith Blackmon and Sarah Lewis, brother; Davis Blackmon, grandparents; Robert and Jeanne Lewis, Clyde Blackmon, and Karen Cornel, uncles and aunts; Andrew and Kriss Lewis, Scott and Julia Hilbun, Craig Blackmon and Tiffany McDermott, and cousins; Ellen and Jack Hilbun in addition to extended family.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday February 29, 2020 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. at the Sons of Norway Hall in Poulsbo, WA.

A memorial fund has been established in Maggie's memory at St. Lawrence University. Gifts can be made online at https:// alumni.stlawu.edu/The-Maggie-Blackmon-21-Memorial-Riding-Fund or mailed to Tom Pynchon, Vice President for Advancement, St. Lawrence University, 23 Romoda Drive, Canton, NY 13617.