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Gordon Blackley, 92, peacefully departed this life on June 12, 2026, in Elkins, West Virginia, at Mountain Memories Assisted Living and under the care of WV Caring with his beloved wife of nearly 52 years, Becky, by his side.
Gordon was born on July 21, 1933, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the youngest child of John (Jack) Michael McGrath and Ann Margaret (Masie) Kirkness McGrath. His mother died while he was still an infant, and in 1934 he was adopted by his paternal aunt, Elizabeth (Bessie) McGrath, and her husband, James Blackley, and moved with his new parents to Battle Creek, Michigan.
On July 4, 1974, Gordon married the love of his life, the former Rebecca (Becky) Rodgers, who survives. In addition to his wife, Gordon is survived by his two children, Tamara Blackley (and husband, Richard Paiz) and Kevin Blackley (and wife, Leah); four grandchildren, Kelsey Paiz Mayeda (and husband, Matthew), Joseph Paiz, Erin Blackley and Sarah Blackley; and one great-grandchild, Malcolm Mayeda. He was preceded in death by his biological and adoptive parents, two brothers and four sisters.
When Gordon was 10 years old, his family moved to California, where he graduated from Hayward Union High School in 1951. Following graduation, he enlisted in the Navy, serving in the Pacific during the Korean conflict as Personnelman First Class aboard the combat troop transport USS George Clymer from bases in Japan, China, South Korea, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Hawaii.
After his military service, Gordon settled in Los Angeles and received a B.S. Degree in Business Administration from Los Angeles State University, where he was responsible for affiliating his campus fraternity with the national Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, and was honored as an “Outstanding Student.” Through a Fellowship in Public Affairs with the prestigious CORO Foundation, he worked for a wide range of business, professional, and political organizations, ultimately choosing a career as an association executive and exposition manager. He earned professional designations as a Certified Association Executive from the American Society of Association Executives and as a Certified Exposition Manager from the National Association of Exposition Managers. In 1979, he received ASAE's “Grand Award for Management Achievement.”
Over the years, he worked for home builders associations in northern and southern California before becoming the Executive Vice President of the West Bay Division of the Associated Building Industry of Northern California. That was followed by 10 years in exposition management as the Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Builders Conference, the largest regional housing industry trade show in the U.S. He returned to association management for his last position as the President of the Pacific Coast Gas Association, from which he retired in 1996.
Gordon and Becky first visited West Virginia in 1985 when Becky was an instructor for the Augusta Heritage Center's summer workshops. They fell in love with the Elkins area, and upon Gordon's retirement they made their new home in the Monongahela National Forest on the banks of the Shavers Fork river just outside of Elkins. Shortly after arriving, Gordon was asked to join Augusta's staff as Publicity Coordinator and continued in that position until 2005, when he retired for the second (and last) time.
An enthusiastic newcomer to the area, Gordon quickly became active in the community. He was a valued member of the Highlands Trail Foundation Board of Directors (2006-2015) where he introduced geocaching to the rail trail. During his time as president (20072008), he was instrumental in getting the final section of the Allegheny Highlands Trail completed from Highland Park to the Elkins Depot by organizing an extensive letter-writing campaign to show broad community support from local government, agencies, organizations and individuals. In recognition, the HTF presented Gordon with an Outstanding Service Award in 2016. He was an active board member of the Shavers Fork Coalition, a nonprofit formed to protect and restore the watershed of the Shavers Fork river, and was also on the Board of Directors of The Arts Center.
Known for his quick wit and irrepressible sense of humor, Gordon was liked by everyone. He had a lifelong love of music and especially enjoyed Augusta's evening jam sessions. He was a founding member of Senior Moments, a trio of musicians playing an eclectic array of music, in which he played hammered dulcimer, ukulele and melodica and also performed with the Potluck Jug Band playing banjo ukulele and electric kazoo. He was an avid reader, and his favorite outdoor activity was bike riding along nearby rail trails. Most of all, he loved to travel, and Gordon and Becky visited 46 of the United States, 32 foreign countries, and all seven continents, getting to know people from other cultures and exploring the extraordinary beauty of our diverse planet. Gordon brought laughter wherever he went, and in the end, his own life was his most remarkable journey.
Donations in Gordon's memory can be made to the Randolph County Humane Society (rchswv.org); the Augusta Heritage Center (augustaartsandculture.org/donate/); The Arts Center (randolpharts.org/donate); or the Highlands Trail Foundation (highlandstrailwv.org)
Tomblyn Funeral Home in Elkins is in charge of the arrangements. To honor Gordon's wishes, he was cremated, and no services or memorial celebration will be held. Condolences may be expressed at www.tomblynfuneralhome.com.