Allan E. "Jim" Blackstone

Allan E. “Jim” Blackstone of Mentor passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, November 10, 2020, leaving a long legacy of goodness and our broken hearts. Dependable, true, and loyal are just three of the many qualities that characterized Jim’s life. He was just a great guy! His unconditional love expressed itself in the little caring details of life, such as flowers at the start of every school year for his daughter, Christina, a teacher. Valentine’s Day gifts, birthdays remembered and remembering important dates were the little ways that communicated his big heart. His wife, Joanne, and his daughter, Christina, could not have felt more loved. If success in life is measured by acts of kindnesses bestowed, Jim left this life a true winner! Jim was an easy conversationalist with people from all ages and backgrounds. People enjoyed his down-to-earth humor and never-ending entertaining stories. His interests were diverse, from Motown, Elvis, and Rod Stewart to collecting golf balls and bobble-heads to rooting for archrivals like those “Damn Yankees” and his hometown Cleveland Indians. He loved playing golf, traveling around the world, enjoying 35 cruises and a special visit to meet his wife Joanne’s relatives in Slovenia last year, dining out, and trying new adventures. Life was never dull with Jim there! He loved new cars – always black! – and enjoyed driving his 2013 Cadillac CTS Coupe with his “Captain JB” plates. He especially loved his dogs, Samantha, Lucy, and Bernie. Jim liked people, and life and people liked Jim. Jim was 100% steady. His dependability and consistency produced rock-solid results. As the Vice President at The Sadar Group, CPAs, he joined his wife, Joanne, as a key leader of the firm. His extensive people skills and meticulous attention to detail saw him in many diverse roles, including joining Joanne as a voice of advertisement on WKKY, which he always enjoyed. His commitment to integrity and excellence helped Joanne immensely. Prior to this, Jim enjoyed a successful career in manufacturing, most recently as General Manager. Practicing his faith in the Catholic tradition was Jim’s bedrock belief. Favorite saints St. Jude and St. Anthony could just as easily be mentioned at the end of a good-natured joke as called upon for guidance throughout life. Jim did not take himself too seriously because he took the Lord seriously. He firmly believed that he would go when it was his time to go. In God’s plan, it was his time. And while his family cannot be more heartbroken, we are thankful to have had Jim for the years God gave him to us. Jim was born March 5, 1938, in Cleveland, OH to the late Allan H. and Lenore (Schoendorf) Blackstone. He graduated from St. Joseph’s High School in Cleveland in 1956. Jim is survived by his wife of 21 years, Joanne M. Sadar; daughter, Christina (Kenneth) Veon; sister, Elizabeth “Bettie” (Adolph) Melinz and his beloved Miniature Schnauzer, Samantha. Preceding Jim in death are his first wife, Mary Blackstone; parents, Allan H. and Lenore Blackstone and Miniature Schnauzer, Lucy. Private family services, with military honors, were held at Brunner Sanden Deitrick Funeral Home and at St. John Vianney Church, Mentor. A A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Interment was in Mentor Cemetery, Mentor. The family requests donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. The family would also like to thank the staff at Lake Health’s Center for Comprehensive Rehabilitation (CCR) for the exceptional care given to Jim as he recovered from his broken ankle. Arrangements entrusted to the Brunner Sanden Deitrick Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 8466 Mentor Avenue, Mentor, Ohio 44060. Please offer condolences at www.brunners.com

Allan E. "Jim" Blackstone

March 5, 1938 - November 10, 2020