Marion Blackwell: key obituary facts
Is Marion Blackwell dead? Yes. Marion Blackwell died on August 22, 2026, at age 98.
Cause of death: Marion Blackwell's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Marion Blackwell known for?
She was an Australian landscape architect and ecologist (1928–2026).
More about Marion Blackwell
Born: 3 April 1928.
Place of birth: Manilla.
Place of death: Perth.
Gender: female.
Occupation: ecologist, landscape architect, botanist, botanical collector.
Nationality: Australia.
Education: University of Sydney.
Employer: University of New South Wales, University of Western Australia.
Awards: Member of the Order of Australia.
Also known as: Marion Isabel Blackwell, M. I. Blackwell.
Marion Blackwell, an Australian landscape architect and ecologist, died on August 22, 2026, aged 98.
Born Marion Isabel Blackwell on April 3, 1928, in Manilla, New South Wales, she grew up on a station about 18 miles from town with her three siblings. Her early understanding of land and gardening was shaped by an Aboriginal stockman at the station and by her grandfather.
At seven, she devised a formula to stop milk from going sour so she could feed orphaned baby marsupials, and the idea was later published in an agricultural journal. She was educated through the Blackfriars Correspondence School by radio and later attended Hornsby Girls High School in Sydney.