David Howard Blackstone "Dude" was the 7th child of Benjamin & Laura Blackstone. 

David Howard Blackstone "Dude"

David Blackstone
Born August 31, 1919
Died Feb. 3, 1983   My brother, David (Dude) was born in El Campo, Texas in 1919 and he went to his first 5 years of school in a one room school house just out side of El Campo.   In his early years he helped his Father, my Dad, in the fields, planting, milking, and picking cotton and etc.   As he got older there was no work because the States was in a Great Depression.  Around 1934 he joined the 3 C's, this was a program that President Roosevelt started to help give our young men work.  I believe he was there for about 3 years.   In 1936 our Family moved from Junction, Texas to Boise, Idaho.  My sister, Maggie lived in Idaho.  Dude started operating road and earth moving equipment.  He worked in Construction there until the war started, he then joined the US Army and served in World War II.   Dude met a pretty young lady by the name of Eva Douglas and married her, they had 2 sons, David and Dennis Blackstone.   Eva had 2 children from a previous marriage, Gary and Sandy.  Dude hurt his back in the Army, had 2 back operations and unfortunately had back trouble the rest of his life.   In 1981 he was living in Moab Utah, unable to work, after surgery.  I built him a log cabin in Huntsville, Texas.  He just lived a few miles from us, so we visited with him almost every day.  We always enjoyed his visits.   He had moved back to Moab Utah and he was driving back to Huntsville to see us, had stopped at a motel to sleep and had a stroke.  He died in the motel.  He died Feb. 3, 1983, his two sons shipped his body to Boise Idaho to be buried.