Obituary: Colleen Black

Colleen Black died peacefully Thursday, March 19, 2015, surrounded by her family.

Born Mary Colleen Rowan in Nashville, Tennessee, on July 21, 1925, Colleen was the second of 10 children to James Leo and Bess Rowan. She graduated from Cathedral High School in 1943.

Colleen and her entire family moved to Clinton Engineering Works (Oak Ridge) to help the war effort in 1944. Her life experiences in early Oak Ridge are documented in Denise Kiernan’s best seller “The Girls of Atomic City.” The book tells the exciting story of 19-year-old Colleen working for Ford, Bacon, and Davis as a leak detector at K-25. It was at K-25 that Colleen met a tall dark and handsome SED engineer—Clifford Black.

Colleen and Cliff were married at the Chapel on the Hill in November 1945. After her marriage, Colleen began her second career as a wife and mother. The Blacks went through Oak Ridge’s wartime house alphabet…They first lived in a “victory cottage,” then a “flat top,” an “E” apartment,” and an “A” house. When the Blacks had their third child Rebecca, they were eligible for a “D” house, which was the crème de la crème of wartime housing…and they quickly filled it with five more children, for a grand total of eight.

Colleen was a model ’50s homemaker. Her cooking for a family of 10 was well known throughout the community. Colleen’s recipe for fried chicken was legendary, easily demoting the Kentucky Colonel to a mere private! Her buttermilk biscuits were cut with a kitchen glass, and she made gravy that could make you lick every last atomic particle! Colleen later wrote the cookbook “Cooking behind the Fence” in which she gathered and shared recipes from many Oak Ridge war brides.

True to the spirt of her Volunteer state—Colleen was a volunteer extraordinaire—she was a den mother for Cub Scouts, a leader for Blue Birds, an aerobic dance instructor for the YWCA, a wheel chair aerobic teacher at NHC, and chairman of the International Conversation Circle at the Y. Colleen served on the boards of the Catholic Woman’s Club, the Oak Ridge Woman’s Club, the YWCA, and the Junior Playhouse. She was also a cast member in several Oak Ridge Playhouse productions.

Colleen had a talent for writing. She wrote a column for The Oak Ridger in the ’60s and ’70s entitled “O-Ridge-inals.” She was also a frequent contributor to “Ridge Runners” with the byline CB. Today she is especially known for her famous poems and songs, which she writes for friends and family on special occasions—birthdays, anniversaries, and funerals.

A well-known fashion-plate around the Ridge, Colleen coordinated and participated in fashion shows throughout Oak Ridge. She wore white gloves, high heels, and don’t forget the hats to luncheons and teas all around town. If she didn’t have an outfit, she could whip one up using anything she found around the house—from paper bags, colanders, sheets, and doorknobs…yes, really! Her favorite wartime saying was, “Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without!”

Colleen taught her children how to make quilts—yo-yo quilts—using the scraps of fabrics from their clothes and curtains. And so today her children can look at their quilts and remember their fourth-grade blouse, or their bedroom curtains, or one of her many maternity tops.

In the ’70s, Colleen went back to school and became an LPN. She worked at the Oak Ridge hospital for two years and later practiced all her nursing skills on her eight children, 14 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Colleen was a well-known local historian. She presented her story called “The Early Days of Oak Ridge” to organizations around Oak Ridge—Rotary, Altrusa, AAUW, Christian Women’s Club. She was the featured speaker at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s 60th anniversary celebration. Colleen told the story of Oak Ridge to school groups at the Museum of Science and Energy as well as Woodland School’s fourth-grade project.

Colleen was an excellent photographer. She not only took just the right shots; she also developed her own pictures for many years—at night—in the kitchen of her D house. Colleen was also an avid scrap booker…and a real cut-up. She is renowned for her collages. She always carried a pair of scissors in her purse, and she loved to edit the pictures just to give people their best view. Colleen has left her family bins of pictures of body parts—mostly heads—from her famous collages, including everyone from friends and neighbors to Mother Theresa and Queen Elizabeth.

During their retirement years, Colleen and Blackie traveled all over the world leaving their mark on five continents.

Colleen was a member of a bridge club, a sewing club, St. Mary’s Seniors, Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, the Art Center, the Museum of Science and Energy, Christian Women’s Club, and Monday Thing.

Bringing people together for fellowship, Colleen was leading two senior groups at the time of her death: Greenfield’s Social Hour and the Bells of St. Mary’s. Colleen planned and organized programs for these groups, including jokes and songs to celebrate the holidays and seasons of the year. Collen loved joking with her fellow seniors about their Golden Years.

In 2013, when Denise Kiernan’s book featured Colleen as one of the girls of Atomic City, Colleen became a favorite speaker at book clubs in Oak Ridge, Knoxville, Maryville, and Nashville. Colleen’s interviews have been featured on the “Heartland Series,” the History Channel, on “Tennessee Crossroads,” on “Morning Joe,” and “NBC Nightly News.” In her last presentation on early Oak Ridge, she donned her National Park hat and expressed her delight that sites in Oak Ridge are to be designated as part of the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

Colleen was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years Clifford “Blackie” Black, and two of her sons David Black and Jeffrey Black. Two of her grandchildren also preceded her in death: Bibiana Angelini and James Taylor Adams.

She is survived by six of her eight children, Suzanne Angelini and her husband Pete of Oak Ridge, Rebecca Adams of Knoxville, Jennifer Burman and her husband Malcom of Atlanta, Georgia, Clifford James Black and his wife Nora Kidd Black of Greensboro, North Carolina, Mary (Tara) Warner and her husband Don Belfast Maine, and Jane Massoumi of Sarasota, Florida.

Known to all of her grandchildren as Nonna, Go Go, and Aboo she is remembered by Lena Adams of Knoxville, Tennessee; Isabella Angelini and her husband Derek Stewart of Livermore, California; Michael Adams and his wife Stefanie of Maryville, Tennessee; Joseph Angelini and his wife Traci of Knoxville; Soraya Massoumi of Sarasota, Florida; Haley Warner of Ft. Meyers, Florida; Montana Burman of Atlanta, Georgia; Sierra Warner of St. James City, Florida, Kansas Burman of Atlanta, Georgia; Savannah Warner of St James City, Florida; Mariah Massoumi of Sarasota, Florida; and Starr Warner of St. James City, Florida.

Colleen is also Gigi—great-grand—to five great-grandchildren: Kaylan Adams Sudbury, Ariella Angelini Stewart, Dario Angelini Stewart, Cooper Adams, and Rebecca Rae Adams. Joseph and Traci are expecting Colleen’s sixth great-grandchild this August. Michael and Stefanie Adams are expecting the seventh great-grandchild this fall.

Colleen is survived by five sisters: Shelia Rowan and Jo Ellen Lacovino of Oak Ridge, Annette Rodriguez and Sara Watkins of Florida, and Kathleen Deerie Carlton of Nashville. Two brothers, Brien Rowan of Crossville and Harry Rowan of Florida, survive her. Many nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family also survive her.

The family will receive friends at Weatherford Mortuary on Sunday, March 29, from 12 until 3 p.m. The Rosary will be said at 2:30 p.m. A memorial mass will be celebrated by Fr. Michael Woods at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oak Ridge at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, March 30, 2015. Burial will be in Oak Ridge Memorial Park.

Memorials may be made to St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 327 Vermont Ave. Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, or to Atomic Heritage Foundation, 910 17th St., Suite 408, Washington DC, 20006.

An online guest book may be signed at weatherfordmortuary.com.