Annabeth Black dies

Beacon owner's wife partner in life, business
Master gardener, 60, made many decisions with mate of 36 years

By Marilyn Miller
Beacon Journal staff writer
Ann Elizabeth Black, nicknamed Annabeth, wife of the new owner of the Akron Beacon Journal, David Black, died early Wednesday following a battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 60.

She died at home in Oak Bay, British Columbia, a suburb of Victoria.

Mrs. Black was diagnosed in 2005.

She was said to be a confidante and partner with her husband, both in life and in business. Company officials said she sat on the board of directors at Black Press, which owns more than 100 newspapers in Alberta, Canada, as well as Washington and Hawaii.

Mrs. Black was noted for spending much of her time reviewing their newspapers, concerned most about the journalistic quality and community involvement.

``There was hardly a decision that got made without her input,'' computer systems manager Al McGee told a reporter at the Oak Bay News, who has worked closely with David Black since 1979. The Oak Bay News is also owned by the Blacks.

Mrs. Black was born in Vancouver, the oldest of eight children.

She met David Black while attending the University of British Columbia, where she earned a bachelor's degree in music education.

The couple, married 36 years, had four children -- twin sons, Fraser and Alan, 34, and daughters, Morgan, 32, and Catherine, 30.

A neighbor for more than 20 years, Karin O'Connor, described Mrs. Black as first and foremost an awesome mother.

``She was the type of person who was always available if anybody in the neighborhood needed her. She was a stay-at-home mother who always kept herself busy in the community and in the home,'' she said. ``She had a wonderful approach to life. She was a fun, loving person, enjoyed life and was very down to earth.''

According to newspaper articles, Mrs. Black sat on various boards of charitable organizations, including Children's Hospital. She also was hostess to many lunches and receptions when her husband was chairman of the board of directors of the Commonwealth Games in 1994.

Her son Fraser told the Victoria newspaper, Times Colonist, that his mother sat side by side with many important people on various boards, but she really enjoyed putting her hands into the soil of her own garden.

``She was a master gardener,'' O'Connor said. ``She had a great flower garden and an extraordinary vegetable garden. She was also involved in the revival of oak trees.''

Fraser Black told the Victoria newspaper that his mother was very proud of her family and ``very proud of my father, and the things that they accomplished together.''

David Black told a reporter in a Nov. 9, 2000, article published in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin -- which he bought in 2000 -- that his wife was his best friend.

``I've been very fortunate in my life. I haven't had the challenges that some people have had to face,'' he said. ``I got very, very lucky, finding my wife.... She brings quiet to my life, focuses me less on business and more on my family.''
[Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Friday, August 25, 2006]