Pittsburgh, Pa. – October 20, 2025 – The board and staff of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy are deeply saddened by the passing of longtime Conservancy Board Member Franklin Blackstone, Jr., who passed away on October 11, 2025.
Franklin served as a member of the Conservancy board for 50 years, joining in 1975, and was a director emeritus. He was passionate about and dedicated to advancing the Conservancy’s mission and work, as regular visits to places the Conservancy helped protect, such as Allegheny National Forest, Cook Forest State Park and Ohiopyle State Park, were a part of his family’s ethos. He recently gifted the book “Penn’s Woods West” to the Conservancy in honor of his 50 years of service, and said the book’s message was near to his heart and timeless.
“It was my introduction to conservation and my dedication to its cause–the cause we share and promote so effectively in this organization,” Franklin recently shared with Conservancy members, board and staff.
Tom Saunders, the Conservancy’s president and CEO, says Franklin was an exceptional person and a valued member of the Conservancy board for decades. “He was thoughtful, gracious and generous. He was a deep-thinking person, someone who embodied the conscience of the organization.”
A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1952, Franklin practiced law for 62 years in Pittsburgh and its suburbs of Cranberry Township and the North Hills. It came naturally for Franklin to be charitable with his time and legal expertise at many community, church and professional organizations.
“He was the kind of thoughtful and generous person who never attended an event or participated in anything without taking extra time and care to express thanks and appreciation. It was just built into how he lived his life to take the time to appreciate and support the people around him,” Tom recalls. “He helped to shape the Conservancy, and we will miss him always.”
Franklin is survived by his beloved wife of 39 years, Bonnie J. Blackstone, five children and several grandchildren. The Conservancy staff and board extend their most profound and sincere condolences to the Blackstone family during this difficult time.
Read more about Franklin’s life and the many organizations where he made an indelible impact on people, nature and the community.
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About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) enhances the region by protecting and restoring exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped establish 11 state parks, conserved more than a quarter million acres of natural lands, protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams, and assessed thousands of wildlife species and their habitats. The Conservancy owns and operates Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 130 community gardens and other green spaces and thousands of trees that are planted with the help of more than 7,000 volunteers. The work of the Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 10,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org or Fallingwater.org.