This page wouldn’t have the room needed to tell all of Opal’s accomplishments, places she traveled, and the people she blessed.
Opal was born in Fruita, Colorado on February 24, 1927. Her family were the Blackshears. Her father was Alva; her mother Lou Vera; and her brothers Paul, Lawrence, James, Alva, and her sister Violet.
She met Frank in a Fruita soda shop in 1944, and in three weeks they eloped and got married on January 3, 1945. In October they had a daughter, Elaura.
They became farmers in Fruitvale, and Frank would eventually also get a Mathematics degree from Western State. In the early sixties, Frank and Opal adopted Mark and Julie into the family.
After the tragic death of their daughter Elaura in 1966, the family moved to Guam. Frank was a Math professor at the University of Guam, and Opal got her Master in Asian History and a minor in Library Science. She used these degrees to teach Asian History at several high schools, and also was a librarian at junior high schools other years. While the family lived on Guam, they took the opportunity to travel during summers throughout Asia, Europe, and back to the states occasionally to catch up with family. Both she and Frank taught for more than twenty years, and the family was healed and deeply blessed the years they lived on Guam.
After their retirement from teaching, Opal and Frank traveled even more. Traveling in an RV, a Cessna (flying from Florida to Grand Junction!), and an MG Midget at different times.
When Frank died in 2007, Opal began to take an annual trip to Guam each winter to warm herself up in the Guam sun and the warmth of her island ‘family.’
This winter was the first year she didn’t travel to Guam. Signs of dementia and the beginning struggles with it eventually brought her family in March to help with the fast decline of her health up to her stroke two weeks ago.
She is survived by her son Mark, daughter in-law Rebecca, and grandchildren Mikaela, Isabel and Daniel as well as her daughter Julie, Julie’s fiancée Sandra, and grand-daughters Dianna and Sarah.
The funeral service for Opal will be on Thursday, June 20 at Martin’s Mortuary.
The family would request, instead of flowers, that your memorial contribution be made to Palisade Grace Baptist Church ‘Missionary Fund,’ in honor of Opal’s heart for missions.
