Danette was born May 19, 1959 to James and Mary Coffey at Ft. Jackson, Columbia, SC. She was a devoted daughter, gentle sister, loving wife, nurturing mother and extremely proud grandmother.
Danette married Tommy Blackwell on April 8, 1977, this year marked their 44th wedding anniversary. As Tommy has said many times of his wonderful wife, “I married that girl with a lot of love in my heart and a pocket full of dreams.” They dreamt many dreams of what their life could be, and would be, but the greatest dream they achieved was making a family of their own with two beautiful daughters, two fantastic sons-in-law, and four adorable grandchildren.
Danette was a master of southern cuisine. Family and friends alike enjoyed Danette’s comfort food, always having more than enough to feed everyone and always offering to prepare someone’s favorite dish. No one left Danette’s table hungry. Full bellies, smiling faces, and making memories while “breaking bread” gave Danette joy and satisfaction.
Danette thoroughly enjoyed traveling with Tommy to watch the Atlanta Braves and other major and minor league baseball teams across the United States. She and Tommy also toured historical sites throughout the country and were thrilled when their grandkids could join in on these adventures. Regardless, Danette’s favorite place to be was surrounded by family while celebrating the holidays or special occasions. She loved the traditions, memories, laughter, and busyness of it all! Danette would ensure every detail was wrapped in a bow, figuratively and literally. She quietly took great pride in seeing her loved ones feel such happiness.
Danette is survived by her spouse, Tommy Blackwell, her daughter, Shannon (Major Mark) DeSouza of Chapin, SC, and her daughter, Mary “Katie” (Jordan) Laney of Elgin, SC. Danette is survived by her grandsons, Ethan and Sloan DeSouza and Cooper and Grayson Laney. Danette is also survived by her siblings: Sharon Coffey of Upper Marlboro, MD, Colonel (ret.) Jimmy Coffey (Leah) of Arlington, VA, Mary “Susie” Kennedy (Dr. Chris) of Goose Creek, SC, and Samuel Coffey of Columbia, SC.
Danette is preceded in death by her parents, SFC James and Mary Cooper Coffey.
Celebration of Life service will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, October 23, 2021, at Dunbar Funeral Home, Northeast Chapel. The Blackwell Family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.
The family would like to thank South Carolina Oncology Associates, to include Dr. Butler and Dusty, for the care and support they have provided. Additionally, thank you Heart of Hospice for providing comfort and compassion.
Memorial contributions may be made to Metavivor.org which provides research, support, and awareness for Metastatic Breast Cancer.
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