Agnes Blackstone
Sept 12, 1921 - March 30 2025
Our long-time member and dear friend, Agnes Blackstone, left us on Saturday, March 30, 2025. She lived independently in her home in Plymouth Meeting until about two years ago when she moved to the local Brandywine Care Center. She is survived by her two daughters, Fran and Amy, granddaughters; Rebecca, Kate and Molly, and great grandchildren; Hannah, Stella, and Alex. Her family is planning a memorial for Agnes at the Meeting and will share details with us when they are available. In her memory, we are publishing excerpts from an interview Sally did with Agnes on the occasion of her 100th birthday, which included her life story, plus some answers to specific questions Sally asked.
Agnes was born in New Brunswick to English immigrant parents who had come to Canada from Yorkshire. From there, they moved to Florida for warmer weather, and then to Newtown (Bucks County) , PA, for better jobs. In Newtown, the family joined Newtown Meeting, and Agnes attended The George School. After graduation, she enrolled in business school at Rider College in Trenton, NJ, and was hired at the radiology department at Jeanes Hospital in Philadelphia, which was her first and favorite job. From there she moved on to work at Temple University Hospital’s radiology department, where she met her husband. She was married in 1943 and had two children, Frances and Amy, who she raised in Plymouth Meeting, where the family attended Plymouth Meeting Friends, and Agnes enjoyed her girls, her good friends and neighbors. At our Meeting, Agnes was a dedicated and beloved volunteer, serving on many committees and in recent years hosting Care & Concern committee meetings at her home with lovely desserts and coffee.
What are your secrets for a long, healthy life?
I don’t have any secrets. In general, don’t overdo…including eating and working.
Did you ever smoke?
Oh, I smoked for 60 years and quit when I was 80.
What would be the most important invention in your lifetime?
Every now and then I think of an ordinary thing we have that we didn’t have. Off the top of my head, I think the automobile.
What is your favorite, treasured memory?
When my husband proposed to me and when my children were born.
What do you do to stay young?
Keep active, read a lot, and keep up with the times, whether physically or mentally.
When did you first learn about the Quaker faith?
When I was a young girl in Florida, we lived in a rural area and there was just one church nearby. My
mother, born in England, was a Quaker, and heard of a woman who was holding Meeting in her large
living room. On Sunday mornings, we got dressed and my father drove us twenty-five miles south of
Tampa to Mrs. McGill’s home. She was from Connecticut and came to Florida for the winters.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you like to live?
I used to adore Germantown very much. I like to go to the shore, but not live there year around. Where
I live is where I made friends that I enjoy.
What gift do you want for your 100th birthday?
Oh, I don’t’ want any gifts. A main gift is I can still walk around – physical activity.