Philip Wayne Blake

Blake, Philip Wayne, 90, passed into his Heavenly home on Wed. Nov. 12, 2014. Visitation 1-8 pm Friday, at Culbertson-Smith Mortuary, 115 S. Seneca. Graveside service 10 a.m. Saturday at Kechi Cemetery; Celebration of Life service 1:00 p.m. at West Evangelical Free Church, 1161 N. Maize Rd. Phil was born the last of 8 children to Charles G.C. Blake and Jessie Mabel Raymond in Wichita, KS on Dec. 26, 1923. The family moved to Homestead, OK, where he was raised, and upon graduation from Watonga High School, he joined the Army and served in WWII in the South Pacific from 1943-46. Upon returning to civilian life, he attended Kansas University where he met the love of his life, Minnie Lou Howard. They were married on April 8, 1950, and he graduated from KU with a Mathematics Degree the next month. After a two-year stent teaching high school mathematics at Junction City High School, Phil began a 17-year engineering career with Boeing in Wichita. He was a true entrepreneur at heart and worked with wonderful business partners at many endeavors including: a gift shop, International Bazaar: designing an Indian manufactured Electric Car; Chancellors Clothing - custom tailored men's clothing, and ended his working years with 23 years devoted to Safety Consulting, Inc. - industrial safety consulting and expert witnessing. During these many years he worked with his best friend Minnie as his secretary while raising his three children and he earned the title of “The Best Father and Grandpa in the Whole Wide World!" He was an active Boy Scout Leader and loved to hunt and camp and took his family on vacations all over the U.S. He was an avid deer hunter and raised the children on fresh venison and wild game, most of which came from his favorite place on earth, his Red Oaks Ranch where he taught all his family the value of hard work and love of the outdoors. The last twenty years of his life he invested in his community working to improve and promote Veterans Parks and Monuments. He was proud that his family lineage could be traced back to those who fought in the Revolutionary War, and he was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. His beloved wife of 61 years died in 2011, and even though he had survived cancer and was on a feeding tube the last 10 years of his life, he continued to sing, be optimistic, write books, poetry and through it all was proud to be an American, to have served his Country and promote knowledge and love of the Constitution and Liberty! Phil was preceded in death by his wife Minnie; parents, four brothers and three sisters. Survived by son Kenneth (Kathy) Blake, Ortonville, MI; daughters Dr. Sally (Stuart) LaMont Dubey of San Rafael, CA; and Laura (Bill) Auchterlonie of Wichita; sister-in-law Joyce Blake; seven grandchildren, Jasmin Dubey, Scott (Amanda) Auchterlonie, Lisa (Fernando) Bueno, Kyle Auchterlonie, Sally Auchterlonie, Elizabeth Blake and Emily Blake, 3 great-grandchildren, Chloe Yocky, James and Seth Auchterlonie, and numerous beloved nieces and nephews. A memorial has been established, with Veterans Memorial Park, Inc. P.O. Box 4754, Wichita, KS 67204.

The Wichita Eagle published a very nice tribute to Phil in Thursday, November 12 edition. Click here to view the story.