Birth date: Aug 8, 1937 Death date: Aug 15, 2021
Oma Lea Blackwell, 84, of Fayetteville passed away Sunday August 15, 2021 in Fayetteville. Oma was born on August 8, 1937 in Pueblo, Colorado to James and Mary (Bullington) Lovette. She attended Colorado State College of Education Read Obituary
Oh, my heart. Incredibly sad news. 🙏🏻 May she Rest In Peace. Such a wonderful, gracious, and wise lady we call friend and AR MET. She was always kind and filled with compassion. What a pleasure it was to work with her on economic education. She showed the world a view of love and giving. Loved beyond measure by her AR MET family. I am a better person for knowing her. Jo V.
It was a pleasure for me to work with Oma in economic education through the years. She was loved by educators! We so appreciate her valuable service and passion!
Marsha Masters
Economics Arkansas
Little Rock
Oma’s greatest joys were her grandchildren and she loved to shower them with all the gifts she was blessed with . She had a beautiful singing voice and would sing to them, she loved to sew and sewed dresses and Halloween costumes for them. She was a great cook and always prepared a feast on the holidays. She loved Christmas and always made it special with Santa Bear. She left a lasting legacy of love and kindness . ❤️ Lori , Cassie and Brady Blackwell
Oma holds a special place in my heart -- she taught me how to use a COMPUTER!! Where would I be without that learning!! She was quite a lady. . . God's blessing. . .. Dee Tustison
I have so many memories from my time at Root, but the one that came to mind first today was that, for reasons I don’t know, she let me and another first grader sit at the school spelling bee and try to spell the words in writing. I’m not sure if it was her or our first grade teacher who instigated that, but the way that she knew children, challenged them, and held them accountable made us all better students and people. I am just one of many who can say that: thank you!
Mrs. Blackwell was my principal at Leverette Elementary school in the 1970's. We all loved her very much. We also knew to take her seriously when we messed up. I would like to share this story with you if I may:
I had gotten into a fight with another boy. I have no idea why anymore, but I was caught and in trouble. My penance was to tell my parents and then report to Mrs. Blackwell's office the next morning for a well deserved paddling. My father, who had a fun sense of humor, sat me down for a serious talking to that night. I was terrified of getting paddled. My father appeared sympathetic. The next morning, my father had come up with a cunning plan. He stuffed the back of my britches with old newspaper so that when I got paddled it would not hurt. Great idea I thought, but he kept stuffing them and stuffing them until he either ran out of newspaper or I ran out of pants. Niki Minaj had nothing on me! For that matter, neither did Howard the Duck or Francis the mule. I proudly waddled to school knowing that I was going to out fox the principal. I went to class like that and could barely fit in my desk. When the dreaded moment came, I was called to the principal's office and I waddled like a condemned man into her office. She took one look at me and burst into laughter that brought tears to her eyes. For the next... seemed like a long time...she howled with laughter and started pulling newspaper out of my pants. When she finally finished she sent me to class having completely forgotten to paddle me. From that moment on, every time she saw me a smile of bemusement would cross her face. It was years later before it dawned on me why.
Mrs. Blackwell was a fantastic educator and was of a true heart. I will always be grateful for my time at her school. Today, I too am a teacher. I like to think that I am part of her legacy. May her eternal rest bring her as much joy as her life brought to so many of us.
Matt Porter - Leverette Leaper
Ms. Blackwell was my principal for K - 6th. She was so caring, responsible, and kind. One time I was sent to her principal’s office from recess for calling another girl “#1 dog.” It was in 4th grade and I had NEVER been in any trouble at school before. Instead of scolding me, Ms. Blackwell comforted me through my tears and offered me a Girl Scout cookie - she could see I was punishing myself enough. Very grateful she was my principal!
We are very grateful for Oma and her years leading Root School which all three of our children attended. We also have fond memories from when we attended St. John’s Lutheran Church and she sang in and then led the choir. I pray the family will be comforted by the God whom Oma served.
We’ve been blessed with Oma’s beautiful voice and her gifted piano playing and her desire to bring uplifting performances to GSLC. She filled in with the Children’s choir when she was needed the most. I remember seeing the children’s eyes watch her and listen so carefully to her instructions. She was such an asset. She always knew my name and asked about my family. She, Virgil and Scott have been like extended family as faithful members of our church. She is in her heavenly home with no more pain and suffering. We will think of her often and keep Scott in our heart and prayers.
