Michael L Blake

Michael Lee Blake, 59, of Justin, TX, died July 25, 2011 at Denton, TX. A funeral service was held at 10 a.m., Friday, July 29, at Ward Funeral Home in Washington, Kansas. Rev. Joel Barber officiated. Music included “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”, "Daddy’s Hands” and “I Can Only Imagine”. The pallbearers were Tony Gerdes, Jason Koubek, John Steer, Jr., Garrett Clement, Andy Campbell, Nathan Clement, Cory Hassebroek and Michael Elmshauser. Burial was in the Haddam City Cemetery, Haddam, Kansas. Michael was born Sept. 13, 1951, at Scottsbluff, NE, to William “Bill” and Ruth Blake. He grew up in Sidney, NE. Michael served in the U.S. Air Force for 6 years as a Chinese linguist. On June 23, 1979, he married Sharon Steer, his wife of 32 years. Michael was employed by the Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railway for 32 years. His job took him and his family too many "fresh starts" all over the panhandle of Nebraska. In 1995, he was relocated one final time to Denton TX, where he worked out of the Fort Worth office. Michael loved outdoor adventures. He looked forward to his trips to Nebraska and loved to hit the fishing banks. Camping, fishing, hunting and spending time with family were his favorite ways to pass the time. Doing these events with family was the only way to make them better. He was preceded by his daughter Amanda Christian Blake and his mother Ruth Jean Blake. Survivors include his wife, Sharon Blake, Justin, TX; son, Jeremy (Julie) Blake, Seward, NE; daughters, Jessica Blake, Justin, TX, and Holly B. (Joe) Rozmiarek, Alliance, NE; father, Bill Blake, Mesa, AZ; three sisters, Billy Jean Elmshauser, Lincoln, NE, Linda Bunting-Blake, Tempe, AZ, and Patty Jo Howard, Laramie, WY; and seven grandchildren, Samantha, Brooklynn, Autumn, and Zoey Blake, and Joseph, Christian, and Zachary Rozmiarek. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Michael L Blake, please visit our flower store.