Birth date: Jul 7, 1932 Death date: Nov 1, 2022
We lost the matriarch of the Blake family in the early morning hours of November 1, 2022 with the passing of Evelyn Joy Blake. Evelyn left this world quietly and peacefully where her best friend, Olivia the Cat, watched as the ang Read Obituary
20 things you may (or may not) have known about Evelyn Joy Curl Blake (aka Grandma Evelyn):
1. Her celebrity crush was James Garner!
2. She was an amazing cook
3. Her favorite tv show was America’s Funniest Videos
4. She learned tai chi after she retired and was really good at it!
5. She loved butterflies
6. She loved wearing pins and had quite a collection of them
7. She loved square dancing in her younger days
8. After retiring, she went to teller school and worked part time for Norwest Bank in Denver
9. She loved playing cards, doing crossword puzzles, and playing Boggle with her grandkids
10. She had such a sweet tooth! She loved going to Leatherby’s for lunch and an ice cream sundae
11. She was an international traveler! She traveled to Hungry to visit her son Robert and loved telling others about that trip - it was a highlight of her life
12. She was an artist- she loved to sketch, draw, color, and paint
13. She learned to drive the “right way” at the telephone company. This included not making left turns because they were not safe, so she would go around so she could get to her destination only making right turns.
14. She insisted Yosemite was pronounced “YOS-a-mite”
15. When she put cash in her wallet, she folded each bill individually and put it in crease side up. That way she could pay without taking a wad of cash out for safety
16. She loved road trips and after her mom passed away, she traveled with her dad and his traveling circus.
17. She managed the pay phone area at the telephone company when she retired but started her career as a telephone operator
18. She was a Christian and read the Bible often but did not go to church services very often
19. She loved going to casinos and scratch lottery tickets
20. She helped others in need - she always helped her family and neighbors and gave often to charities for causes that were close to her heart
Colette Jelineo lit a candle in memory of Evelyn Blake
I'm Olivia the Cat. I suppose you've heard a lot about me in the past week since I lost my Mother, Evelyn. Well now I'm in a lovely accommodation with a very kind woman who volunteered to take me in when my Mom had to leave. Let's just get that very important fact out of the way that after all, MY well being was of the utmost importance to my Mom. But enough about me...we'll except to say that I really do miss her. I really do. And that's saying something because I usually really do not care for humans. But I cared for her. You could say she was my dearest friend. She kept me company and we'd eat together...she with her not-at-all-tempting human food and I with my favorite kibble.. I'll miss seeing her hands..old now as was she, pour that into my bowl. I loved that time we spent eating together... but I never really let her know how much that meant to me. She bought me toys that I was kind enough to act like I enjoyed... just to see her smile. She had a really pretty smile...for a human. She even gave me treats when she'd have hers... On the night before the morning she left, I could sense she wasn't feeling well... She moaned when she moved and I tried to lay very softly next to her as she liked. I put my paw on her pillow..After all, it was the least I could do for her now. Then she wasn't purring, or as you humans say, breathing very much. Strange, but I thought I saw someone take her hand & lift her like she weighed no more than a feather. I called to her in the way I know she couldn't refuse.. but she just turned around and softly blew me a kiss..winked at me and was gone. Yes, I am going to miss this human, my mother. And although they've given me another older lady to take care of, she'll never love me as much, or I her, for it was always my Mother and me. Mother, I promise I will love you for the rest of my life as you loved me for the rest of yours. Love, Olivia the Cat
I remember Grandma Evelyn visiting us in Amarillo Texas when we lived there. We we're not always able to have whatever we wanted, but when she came up, she'd take us to A&W for ice cream or burgers delivered by carhops on roller skates . That's one of the fondest memories I have of my Grandma Evelyn.
One of my favorite memories of grandma Evelyn is a trip she took me on when I was 15. I had my driving learners permit and she took me with her to a family reunion in Sioux City, Iowa. The road trip was just the two of us and she let me drive, which of course made me so nervous but also gave me so much confidence that she trusted me. At one point she was getting tired so just hoped over the passenger seat into the back seat! I was so shocked! She said, “I used to do this all the time when I traveled with my dad and his traveling circus!”. She shared so many memories of her time with her dad, we went to where she was born in Tyndall, SD, and got to visit several times with Naomi in the nursing home. Although we had to cut the trip short and did not get to attend the reunion (there was a strike at SW Bell where she worked and she was a manager so had to go back to work) It was a great trip that I will always remember and I always cherished that 1:1 time we had. She has always been such a strong, independent, and loving part of our lives. She had a quick wit (and a quick temper!) and was always willing to help out anyone in need. I am forever grateful she was a part of my life, the lives of my husband and three children and our daughter in law and son in law, and so thankful she got to meet and know both of my grandsons (her great, great grandsons!). It won’t be the same without her here and we are all incredibly sad and grieving now but her light, love, and legacy lives on in our memories, pictures, and stories of her. I hope you are enjoying the traveling circus with your dad again grandma Evelyn! Love you! ❤️
My son Andy wanted me to share a memory he has of Grandma Evelyn... When he was just a kid..."we didn't have a lot of money for special treats. We lived in Amarillo Texas and she lived in Lubbock Texas and would drive up to visit. I remember her taking us to the A&W drive in with carhops and everything and we got to order shakes and ice cream. It was so fun. I'll always remember that.. "
I did pet sitting for the Blake’s several years ago and brought my dad (85yrs old) with me a few times. He met Grandma Evelyn and on my 2nd visit he just stayed and chatted with her instead of walking the dogs with me. He spoke very fondly of her and she was always so kind.
Grandma Evelyn, you were the best grandmother a girl could ever have and I am going to miss you desperately 😢. Thank you for always being there for your family. And thank you for laughing and having fun with all my silly snapchat photos and videos, I will cherish them all. I am so glad that I got to see you last month. If I would have known that would have been the last time, I would have hugged you and never let you go ❤️. I love you so much, thanks for a lifetime of beautiful memories ❤️
