Tony O. Blackford, 57, of Mahomet, died at 12:35 p.m., Thursday, January 13, 2011 at Provena Covenant Medical Center in Urbana. Memorial services will be held at a later date.

Mr. Blackford was born July 3, 1953, in Huntingburg, IN to parents Rex and Louise (Slunder) Blackford. He married Cherie Hoffman on October 5, 2002 in Mahomet, IL; she survives. Also surviving are one son; Todd Merrow (Mari) of Japan, daughters; Tonya Bliss, of Mahomet, and Michelle Landreth, of Shelbyville, brothers; Tom Blackford (Betty Jean), of Rocky Mount, NC, and Tim Blackford (Laurie), of Dahlonega, GA, step-sisters; Susie Burgess, of Assumption, Mary Blackford, of Springfield, and Yvonne Kaufman (Allen), of Mt. Zion, seven grandchildren, and twelve nieces and nephews. Tony was preceded in death by his parents and one nephew, Tommy Blackford, Jr.

Tony attended Bethany High School and later worked as a Machine Operator at Advanced Filtration Systems, Inc. for 17 years. He loved watching old movies and was great at movie trivia. He was also an avid fan of the Chicago Bears and Cubs.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association.