James Blasdell '53 Enters Chapter Eternal
James Arden Blasdell of Paradise Valley died March 13, 2021. Jim, as he was known to family and friends, lived most of his life in the Phoenix area. Born in Los Angeles on October 21, 1930, he moved to Glendale with his farming family as a child, graduating from Glendale High School in 1949. He attended the University of Arizona, where he was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. Jim met his future wife, Machrina Best, at the U of A and they married at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in 1951. They would have celebrated 70 years this June.
Jim Blasdell farmed with his father and brothers in Arizona and Mexico, later pioneering the Australian cotton industry with the founding in 1962 of Auscott Pty., Ltd., in Narrabri and Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He owned and operated Cahill-Edmund Travel of Phoenix, which grew into Woodside Corporate travel with him sitting on the board of Woodside Management Systems FollowShare (international headquarters in Boston) as a founding member and stockholder. He was an active investor with many interests including real estate and manufacturing, and a lifelong entrepreneur.
Jim was a past president of the Vegetable Growers Association, Masonic Lodge #2 of the Scottish Rite, and El Zaribah Shrine. He was a long-time member of Phoenix Country Club and a member of Paradise Valley Country Club, and a member and past president of Valley Field Riding and Polo Club.
Jim said that one of many highlights of his life was meeting President Harry Truman in the Oval Office when Jim traveled to Washington, D.C. as a delegate to the Student Body Presidents Association. He was an avid reader all his life, loved to golf and scuba dived all over the world. Photography was a particular passion, and while he took so many pictures on land that his children joked about only seeing him from the backside, underwater photography and innovating equipment for underwater use was his special love. Travel was a particular pleasure, and he was fortunate to see much of the world, often sharing the travel with his wife and family. When once asked how many countries he had visited, he knew right away: 136!
Jim is survived by his wife of nearly 70 years, Mackie, and their three children and spouses, Machrina L. Blasdell (Michael) of Phoenix, AZ, Mc A. Blasdell (Donna) of Durango, CO, and Kimberly L. Kanaday (Bryan) of Erie, CO, six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. His brother Richard Blasdell lived in the Valley and is recently deceased; two sisters, Betty Tuntland and Helen Dell, predeceased him along with his brother, Raymond Blasdell, and parents, Jim and Loris Blasdell.
Arrangements are being handled by Messenger Indian School Mortuary with inurnment at Paradise Memorial Gardens, 9300 East Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale. Plans are pending for a memorial service at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to the Shriners Hospitals for Children or the Arizona Humane Society.
