MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Services will be held for a community leader and associate of WREG founder Hoyt Wooten who passed away Jan. 10 at age 94.
James Norman “Cap” Blackley was born in Louisville but grew up in Memphis, where he was known for his volunteer spirit and collection of boats and antique cars.
Blackley “was a mentor and father figure to hundreds of at-risk boys for six decades in leadership roles for organizations such as the Downtown Kiwanis Club, Little Kiwanis Club, and Idlewild Presbyterian Scout Troop 20,” according to an obituary by his family.
He was a second-generation member of the Memphis Yacht Club. WREG interviewed him in 2011 about his 1928 wooden Chris Craft boat. (See interview below.)
A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held Saturday, Jan. 25, with a viewing at 10 a.m. and service at 11, at Memphis Botanic Gardens, 750 Cherry Road. There will be a reception afterwards. Blackley will be buried with his family at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.
Memorial donations may be made in lieu of flowers to the Kiwanis Club of Memphis, Box 171182, Memphis, TN, 38187 or the charity of the donor’s choice.