Francis "Frank" E. Blake

Francis E. (Frank) Blake      age 91 of Otsego, joined his wife of 58 years, Yvonne, in heaven on November 6, 2020 after a long battle with cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Preceded in death by wife Yvonne (Olson), parents, Peter and Elizabeth Blake and stepmother Rebecca Blake; brothers, Ray, Rich, John, Bob, Archie Blake; sisters, Marion Steele, Florence Brownell, Eleanor LaGrave, Delores Steibling McCrae, Lee Rich, Gerri O’Keefe, Benedictine Sister Carol Ann.

Survived by children, Jeanne (Gary) Neumann, Shelly (Bruce) Lundquist, Gary Blake, Renee (Derrick) Brown; grandchildren, Andrea Neumann, Emily (Jon) Thrash, Daniel (Mikki) Neumann, Chad Fjerstad, Nicole (Brian) Strandberg, Nicholas (Lisa), Allison (Shawn) Doyle, Braeden Brown; great grandchildren Blake Neumann and Kaiya Thrash.  Also survived by brother-in-law Donald (Bonnie) Olson, many nieces, nephews and friends.

Frank served in the U.S. Navy as a 2nd class Photo Mate during World War Two, was a member of the American Legion, Lions Club International and NARFE.

Due to Covid-19 Pandemic, there will be no Mass of Christian Burial at this time.  Immediate family only will hold a prayer service at Dare’s Funeral Home on Friday, Nov. 20 at 11:30AM.  Interment at MN Veterans Cemetery (Fort Ripley), Little Falls at 2:00PM.  Friends and family are all welcome at the cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to the American Cancer Society or Alzheimer’s Association.

The family of Frank would like to thank the U of M Fairview Maple Grove Medical Team, Dr. Berg (cardiologist), Dr. Jha and Dr.Germscheid (oncologists) and the staff at Guardian Angels Riverview Landing for their wonderful and loving care, especially Maggie, Deb, Syd, Caren.  Also a special thank you to Lisa, Kristi and Jillian from Fairview Hospice for the tender care and understanding.

Frank had quite an adventurous life.  He grew up in the small town of Hillman, MN with his 12 brothers and sisters.  After his time in the Navy he moved to Minneapolis and worked for the railroad and then Honeywell, where he met his bride to be, Yvonne.  He then began working for the US Postal Service until retirement.  During those years he was fortunate to be stationed in Hawaii and then San Francisco.  He really loved to travel and trips included Europe and many states in the U.S.  He loved the casino and organized and went on many bus trips to local casinos and plane trips to Vegas.

The Minnesota Twins were his favorite sports team and he watched every game he could if he wasn’t actually attending the game.  He also was a football, basketball and boxing fan.  In his younger years he spent a lot of time fishing and hunting and he and Yvonne owned a cabin on Bass Lake in Ideal Corners and then later lived on Lake Shamineau in Motley, MN.  Besides those outdoor sports he was quite the bowler and enjoyed playing cards.

The best of times for him was when he was with family.  He was very sentimental about the holidays and loved having his children around him.  Extended family with all his brothers and sisters at picnics, reunions, weddings and time at the lake was always something he looked forward to.  Now he has the joy of seeing his wife, all his siblings and many, many friends again.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Francis "Frank" E. Blake, please visit our floral store.