It’s a sweet day when you make a new friend. That happened to me recently, when I met my new Woodmen Life agent. I missed seeing my previous agent, Linda Milling, who had retired. But when I met Felicia, I realized I would enjoy knowing and visiting with her, as well.
Felicia Faith Thornton Blackburn was born Dec. 27, 1960, to Clifton and Inez Thornton. Her home growing up was in Lawrence. She attended Newton County Academy and got her GED at East Central Junior College in about 1977. She has two brothers, Cliff Thornton Jr., Andy Thornton, and three sisters, Daphne McMillan, Beverly Thornton, and Melanie Wolfe.
Her father was a Baptist minister, who pastored several churches in the area for about 45 years. Mrs. Thornton was primarily a stay-at-home mom, except for when she worked at Sears in Newton after the children were older. She always grew and prepared fresh flower arrangements for their church and was involved in all kinds of church activities. Rev. Thornton was preaching a homecoming service in 2006 when he passed away. His sermon was on going home!
After high school, Felicia worked at Newton County Bank for four years. During this time she was married briefly, and their child,Chasity Bounds was the blessing from that marriage. Felicia had met Tim Blackburn at Newton County Academy about 1975, and they starting dating in 1979. They married March 8, 1980. In 1981 Curt was born, and Lee was born in 1987.
Curt, a teacher and coach at Quitman, and Kristin, a nurse, have given them two grandchildren, Brayden, 17, and Blakley, 7. Chasity has been the supervisor of the Heart Cath Lab at University Medical Center in Jackson for 15 years, and has just recently switched jobs, becoming a clinical specialist with Abbott Vascular, a medical device company, and will soon be awarded her master’s in Health Sciences.
Lee, a nurse for MORO, (organ donor recovery), and Abby, an occupational therapist, have three children, Miller, 6, Chip, 4, and Tate, 1 ½. Six years ago, Lee and Abby felt led by God to begin adoption proceedings. They found a child in India, who is to be their child in about a month or two. Malachi, handicapped, missing an arm and having a club foot, will be a year old when they adopt him. I’m sure they would appreciate your prayers.
Felicia says of their children, “They have all been such a blessing. I’m so thankful they all went on and got their education and degrees, and I’m very thankful for their spiritual life.”
After their marriage in 1979, Felicia finished at cosmetology school at East Central Junior College and was a hairdresser for 24 years. Tim has been a carpenter all his life after playing football a year at East Central. He has worked with his father and brothers in their business, Blackburn Builders.
I asked for her Christian testimony, and she recalled, “I was either seven or eight years old. Daddy preached on going to hell that night. I knew I didn’t want to go there. I went up front and told him I wanted to be saved. He talked to be about it, and I thought I was saved, until age 14 when the Holy Spirit got ahold of me. Bro. Harold Laird was preaching, at Pine Ridge Baptist Church in Lawrence. I remember it like it was yesterday. God convicted my heart. That was the first time I felt real peace. The first time I just went up out of fear of dying and going to hell.”
She added, “There were several years that I, even later, doubted my salvation because I had gone down twice. I talked to Bro. Gerald Holt about it, and his main point to me was, ‘Felicia, did you ask Christ to come into your heart? You have to have the faith. The grace is given by God. You said you believe Jesus died on the cross for your sins. There’s nothing else you can do. He did it all. So from then on, it was finally settled for me, once and for all.” That reminds me of the song, “Jesus Paid It All.”
Her husband Tim was saved after they were married. “Not only is Tim my husband and father of my children, but he is my best friend. He has encouraged me every day of my life in anything I have tried to do. He has always been that support for me.”
Felicia told me she has been working for Woodmen Life going on six years. The 2008 stock market crash affected Tim’s business. Felicia had sold her beauty shop, the Cutting Edge in Newton, and they had built their home near Tim’s family in the Decatur area. She remembered, “Linda Milling approached me on a job site where I was helping. It had been hit by a tornado in the Lake area. The people were Woodmen members, and Linda had come out to visit with them. I will always be grateful to her for thinking of me concerning a position with Woodmen.”
Though Felicia believed she was not a salesman, she told me of the leadership of the Lord in this matter. “I had got on my knees the night before and asked God about direction for my life. Though we had raised three children without health insurance, I was worried about us not having health insurance as we got older.”
With Tim’s encouragement, saying, “You can try it,” she agreed. Beginning the next day, Felicia was processed into the Woodmen business, and she was working in that position within a week!
Though she does a lot of door-to-door sales, working on commission, with “many obstacles from one week to the next,” Felicia says, “I praise the Lord for every obstacle I’ve faced. He’s always taken care of it, and it’s way more than I deserve.”
She obviously enjoys her work, saying, “Woodmen is wonderful to work for. It’s community and family oriented.”
She services Woodmen members all over several local counties. The “service” she gives includes visiting and being a blessing to people like me!
You may contact me at lagnesrussell@gmail.com or 601-635-3282.
