A 2016 interview in which Hallmark Channel actor Marc Blucas talks about the extensive restoration project he undertook on his 300-year-old Pennsylvania farmhouse resurfaced Saturday after his mother-in-law, former supermodel Dayle Haddon, died of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
In the eight-year interview, Blucas — who is married to Haddon’s daughter, Ryan Haddon — described the house as a meaningful family project.
The 52-year-old revealed he and Ryan Haddon, 53, bought the 1711-built property to ‘be closer to family’.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Blucas said. “And it’s a way to stay creatively stimulated when I’m not filming and working.”
He added that his love of DIY projects and historic structures inspired the move to the East Coast
“I think – like most DIYers – you like to work with your hands, you know? (And) it’s the only part of the United States that has that kind of architecture, with old stone barns and old stone houses. So I know they would be lifelong projects.”
Best known for his role as Riley Finn on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Blucas also reflected on his recovery journey in a heartfelt 2021 Instagram post.
He said that after moving to Pennsylvania a decade earlier, he obtained his contractor’s license and took on several restoration projects.
Comments from Hallmark Channel actor Marc Blucas about the restoration of the home where his mother-in-law, Dayle Haddon, tragically died have resurfaced
Tragically, Dayle Haddon was found unresponsive in a second-floor bedroom of the Bucks County home on Friday, December 27.
“When we moved to Pennsylvania ten years ago, my wife took a huge leap of faith… by allowing me to pursue a dream: finding a historic property that I could restore for our growing family,” he wrote in the caption of the post.
“That’s a really nice way of saying I wanted to buy a s——- and live in it. A place I could imagine again. One that would take patience, love and effort to turn into a finished product.”
He continued, “And while I’m not sure that will ever be an achievable outcome with a 310 year old farm, we have created something magical along the way and hopefully shown our children the value of hard work, preserving our historic buildings and the satisfaction that comes with learning new things and doing it yourself.’
Tragically, Dayle Haddon was found unresponsive in a second-floor bedroom of the Bucks County home on Friday, December 27.
According to an official police report, emergency responders also found 76-year-old Walter Blucas unconscious on the first floor.
He was rushed to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ, where he continues to be treated.
The investigation showed that a defective flue and exhaust duct of the gas heating caused a carbon monoxide leak.
“This tragic incident is a stark reminder of the importance of carbon monoxide safety in our homes,” the police report said in a Dec. 28 update.
Blucas and Ryan, who married in 2012, share two daughters.
Ryan also has two children from her previous marriage to Christian Slater.
Pictured: The Burks County Home where Dayle was found
Blucas revealed that he and Ryan, 53, bought the property, built in 1711, to “be closer to the family.”
Dayle was a former actress and supermodel
Dayle Haddon enjoyed a successful modeling career spanning decades.
Her peak was in the 1970s and 1980s, where she graced covers such as the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue (1973) and twice appeared on Harper’s Bazaar’s Ten Most Beautiful Women list.
Even in her 70s, she remained active and was featured in Vogue as recently as August 2024. Born in 1948 in Montreal, Canada, Haddon became a prominent face for cosmetics giants such as Estée Lauder, L’Oréal, Max Factor and Revlon.
In addition to modeling, she pursued a film career and appeared in several American productions in the 1970s, including “The World’s Greatest Athlete” (1973) alongside Jan-Michael Vincent.
After moving to Europe, her focus shifted to international cinema, although she continued to appear occasionally in American films, such as “North Dallas Forty” (1979) with Nick Nolte and “Cyborg” (1989) with Jean-Claude Van Damme in the leading role. She also had small roles in Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway” (1994) and “Celebrity” (1998).
Fluent in French and English, Haddon devoted her later years to activism. She served as an ambassador for UNICEF and founded WomenONe, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing education for girls and women.