F.E. ‘Pete’ Blake Jr.

Francis Edward ‘”Pete” Blake Jr., 63, of Mohave Valley died suddenly on Friday, July 25, 2008, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Prescott. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 1, at the Dimond & Sons Mortuary in Needles. Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2, at the Mohave Valley United Methodist Church, located at 1593 Lipan Blvd. in Fort Mohave. He will be buried with full military honors at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20, at Arlington National Cemetery.
   He was born on March 17, 1945, in San Angelo, Texas, to Francis Edward Blake and Myrhl Omega Pate Blake.
   The family moved to Parker in 1948 and Mr. Blake attended Parker schools, graduating from Parker High School in 1963. He excelled in athletics and his football No. 30 was retired.
   Mr. Blake attended Arizona Western College on a football scholarship and was the first quarterback of the college’s first football team. He graduated from Western New Mexico University in 1971 with a degree in education. Declining a student deferment, Mr. Blake was drafted into the U.S Army in 1966. He was sent to Vietnam, wounded in June 1967, and was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.
   Mr. Blake married his high school sweetheart, Pamela Jean Davis, on Nov. 19, 1966. The couple lived in Silver City, N.M., and Parker, San Manuel and Holbrook before moving to the Needles, Calif., area in 1984, where Mr. Blake taught in Needles schools until he retired in 2004. He was involved in Needles High School athletics as head varsity football coach from 1988 until 1994. He was also varsity and junior varsity baseball coach, as well as junior varsity basketball coach.
   He was a member of the Needles Elks Lodge, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the National Rifle Association.
   Pete Blake was a devoted family man, an American patriot, and a loyal friend. He loved his grandchildren, the boys he coached, old cars, reading, history, sharing stories, guns, the outdoors and the Yankees.
   Survivors include his wife, Pam; son, Sam (Venessa) of Needles; daughter, Tracy Blake Hanline (Nick) of Needles; brother, Sam Blake (Carol) of Chino Valley; grandsons, Blake, Davis, Gauge and Ethen, all of Needles; father-in-law, Wally Davis (Irene) of Parker; sister-in-law, Jan Davis (Cindy) of Cave Creek; brother-in-law, Rick Davis (Melanie) of Frisco, Texas; and nieces, Pam Blake, Laurel Davis, Lindsay (Greg) Molepski, and nephew, Tim Blake.
   He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Anna Lee Blake.
   In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made in Pete Blake's name to the Needles High School Athletic Fund, 1900 Erin Drive, Needles, Calif. 92363.