Vicki Blackburn (née Vanderlip)

Paso Robles resident Vicki Blackburn (néeVanderlip), 59, passed away August 28, 2012 from complications following a stroke. A deeply spiritual woman, Vicki was known for her ability to connect with people that always developed into devoted and life-long friendships. Many of these friendships were established with childhood friends, working at the Paso Robles Inn and Redi Western, and as an aerobics instructor for the City of Paso Robles. With her uncanny insight of humanity, Vicki was loved for her quick-wit that made people laugh. This wit was spawned by her natural and intuitive understanding of human nature. At the young age of 37, Vicki was stricken by a spinal cord tumor that left her with limited mobility in her legs and hands. In her heroic style and not to be beat, she fought back to regain the ability to walk. No longer able to perform as an aerobics dance instructor, she converted to an aqua-aerobics instructor and led a dedicated following of students to a more active and physical lifestyle. In spite of her physical limitations, she inspired others by never backing-down from hardship. It was said by many that Vicki inherited the "happy gene" and always pointed out the positive side of any difficult situation. In these respects, she was a hero to all who knew her. Vicki was an avid researcher in the area of nutrition and, through this research, authored a paper discussing vitamin and mineral mal-absorption for people who had undergone weight loss surgery. Although not medically trained, she was lauded by her doctor for her contribution to this community of patients. A long-time resident and fifth generation Paso Roblan, Vicki was born July 13, 1953 to Manford Vanderlip and Norma (née Della) Vanderlip Moye. Shortly after graduating Paso Robles High, Vicki married US Army Sargent Ernie Blackburn which set the stage for her world travel as a military wife stationed at far-off places such as Bad Kreuznach, Germany. Although she found living away from her birthplace fascinating, she often stated, "There's no place like home!" and in 1980, Vicki once again landed back in Paso Robles to live out her life. Vicki is survived by her daughter Callie (Clint) Schultz and granddaughter Zoe Schultz of Valley Village, CA; her mother Norma (Vanderlip) Moye of Paso Robles; brother Matt Vanderlip of San Jose, CA; brother Vince (Diana) Vanderlip of Templeton; sister Patti (Rob) Baldwin and niece and nephew Lindsey and Jonathan Baldwin of Paso Robles. Vicki was preceded in death by her son Tyler Blackburn and her father Manford Vanderlip. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Vicki's name to the REC Foundation as follows: REC Foundation, 600 Nickerson Drive, Paso Robles, CA 93446, 805- 237-3988.