Betty L. Blake, 89, a long1me resident of Elkhart, Indiana passed away on Tuesday, February 13,
2024 at Elkhart Meadows, where she had been living in memory care since 2020.
Born Betty Lou Stevenson on July 3, 1934, to Milton and Ethel Stevenson of Ottawa, Illinois, Betty
was the eighth of their nine children. She met Kenneth A. Blake, the love of her life, at Ottawa
Township High School, where they were elected Homecoming Queen and King as seniors in 1952.
After gradua1on, Betty worked for the American Association of State Highway Officials (now
“AASHTO”) and in 1957, she and Ken moved to Tokyo, Japan where Ken served in the United
States Armed Forces.
Upon their return Stateside in 1960, Betty worked for the Peace Corps while Ken completed his
master’s degree at the University of Northern Illinois in De Kalb, where they had the first of their
three children. They relocated to Elkhart in 1965 where Ken began a long career with Miles
Laboratories, and Betty thrived as a stay-at-home mom, as a floral design expert, and
as president of her kids’ PTA. Betty returned to the workforce in 1980 at Pierre Moran Junior High
and ul1mately retired from the Elkhart Community Schools a decade later.
A relentless volunteer and charity event organizer, Betty was constantly focused on improving the
lives of those around her, as well as the lives of people she had never met. We will miss her greatly.
Betty was preceded in death by Ken in 2022, just one month shy of their 70th wedding anniversary.
She is survived by her three children: Steven of Palm Springs, California; Stephanie of
Bloomington, Indiana; and Jennifer (Weaver) of Zionsville, Indiana; and three grandchildren:
Blake, Brock, and Whitney.
A special memorial service and celebration of life for both Betty and Ken will be held at a later
date in their hometown of Ottawa, IL, with interment at Oakwood Memorial Park. The family
requests that in lieu of flowers, tribute dona1ons may be made to the Alzheimer’s Associa1on at
act.alz.org.
Recent Comments