Ronnie Blackmon had studied at Morehouse College for nearly four years before it became apparent he wasn't going to graduate on time.
He took a bartender's job at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, but the bar closed. That's when family intervened, notably James Blackmon, an uncle from Atlanta. His suggestion: join the Army.
"I was concerned about his career options and thought he needed a good steady job, stability and something to do," his uncle said. "Something meaningful."
Mr. Blackmon was 27 when he enlisted, one year shy of the cutoff age for Air Force recruits to attend basic military training. He made a 20-year career out of the service, a period in which he traveled the world and served in the Gulf War.
Relatives say it was a perfect fit.
"The Air Force utilized his leadership and organizational skills," said an aunt, the retired Rev. Ernestine Blackmon Cole of Avondale Estates. "He learned those from my mom and dad. He was receptive to the idea [of military service] and went for it. It was a natural fit."
In 2005, Gregory Tyrone "Ronnie" Blackmon of McDonough lapsed into an eight-week diabetic coma. Doctors said his blood-sugar level was one of the highest they had ever seen, yet he survived. He died Monday from complications of the disease at his home. He was 55.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday in the chapel of Gus Thornhill's Funeral Home of East Point. A military burial will take place at 12:30 p.m. Monday in the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton.
Mr. Blackmon was born in Miami, but raised by his grandparents, the late Rev. James and Willie Blackmon, in the southwest Georgia town of Bainbridge. Aunts and uncles were more like brothers and sisters.
After high school, he entered Morehouse as an English major. When approached with the idea of military service, he chose the Air Force rather than the Army because being a soldier lacked appeal. Once enlisted, he harbored no regrets and left the service in 2003 with the rank of master sergeant.
"He thought it was great, and he never complained about it," his uncle said. "When he retired, he got on with the IRS."
Back in Atlanta, he initially took a part-time job with the Internal Revenue Service. At the time of his death, Mr. Blackmon was a regional education service technician, responsible for employee training and the implementation of new procedures locally and in Puerto Rico and Jacksonville.
"He was a bright light at the IRS because he showed such gratitude to God for being alive, given the coma," his aunt said. "He considered every day a gift, and his skills and dependability made him an asset and a spark at the IRS."
Survivors other than aunts and uncles include a stepson, Clyde Ferrell of McDonough; mother, Corene Blackmon, and a brother, Errol Blackmon, both of Miami.
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