Arb Lee Blackwell Jr.

Arb Lee Blackwell Jr., of Slidell, Louisiana passed away on the Marine Corps birthday, Friday, November 10, 2023, with his wife and kids by his side.  Lee was born in Lafayette, grew up in New Orleans and Chalmette and lived there until moving to Slidell in 1982 with his family.  He was a Gunnery Sergeant in the United Stated Marine Corps and served multiple tours in Vietnam as a CH-53 Helicopter crew chief.  He then served in the Marine Corps and Army Reserve Air wing and could identify any of the branches' choppers just from their sound alone. Lee worked at Murphy Oil for 36 years and even after retirement, he never seemed to slow down.  His passion was being outdoors, and he thoroughly enjoyed being on the Pearl River hunting, fishing, shooting or simply sitting by a fire late in the evening. Lee had the knowledge to build or fix almost anything, especially if it had an engine. When he was a teenager, he started doing brake jobs for neighbors and moved his way up to transmissions, then spent years rebuilding transmissions as a side business. Lee was a man of few words and truly believed silence was golden as he said so many times, and he believed your word was everything. He carried his Marine Corps values throughout his life and lived them every single day. 

Lee is preceded in death by his parents, Arb “Dutch” Lee Blackwell, Sr and Mary “Dot” Dorothy Moran Blackwell. 

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Gail de Bouchel Blackwell of Slidell, LA, daughter, La Donna Blackwell of Houston, TX, son Matthew Blackwell of Lafayette, LA, brother Terry Blackwell and wife Carol of Slidell, LA, grandchildren Gillian and Adam Blackwell of Lafayette, LA and Tyler Logan of Houston, TX.

The family will receive friends at 10 AM on Saturday, December 2, 2023, with a Celebration of Life Service at 11 AM at River Life Fellowship, 63433 Highway 11, Pearl River, Louisiana, 70452.  Pastor Michael Lairsey will officiate.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to www.woundedwarriorproject.org

Arrangements are entrusted to Serenity Funeral Home of Covington, LA.

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