John C. Blake

BLAKE, John C. John C. Blake, 61, beloved and devoted husband of Patricia (Rinehart) Blake, of South Windsor, died Monday, (February 23, 2009), at home after a long illness. John was born on December 23, 1947, to Catherine (Karnas) Blake and the late Francis Blake of Staten Island, NY. He attended St. Peter's High School, Staten Island, NY, and Manhattan College, Bronx, NY. He held an M.Eng. and an M.B.A. from RPI. He raised his family in East Hartford, before he and Pat moved to South Windsor 13 years ago. John was employed for 35 years as an engineer and business manager for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, from which he retired in 2004. He was a communicant of St. Francis of Assisi Church, South Windsor. John was known fondly as a Renaissance man; he was a grower of grapes and a maker of wine, a skilled woodworker, a gardener, a nature enthusiast, and a lover of books and music. He enjoyed boating, water and snow skiing, and traveling; he visited all 50 states and many places abroad with his family. In addition to his wife, John is survived by his son, John C. Blake, Jr., his daughter-in-law Bernadeta, and his two grandchildren, Andrew and Kasia, of Chicago, IL; his daughter, Elizabeth Blake of Biddeford, ME; two brothers, Robert Blake of Staten Island and Lawrence Blake of Santa Monica, CA; a sister, Catherine Blake, and her husband Michael Gilson, of Lafayette, CA; many dear friends, including Jim Dina of South Windsor; and many beloved in-laws, cousins, nieces, and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, 10 a.m., at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 673 Ellington Road, South Windsor. Burial will be private. His family will receive friends Friday from 5-8 p.m., at the Samsel & Carmon Funeral Home, 419 Buckland Road, South Windsor. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Connecticut Audubon Society, The Development Office, 2325 Burr St, Fairfield, CT 06824.