Patricia Ann Blake

Pat was born on December 22, 1933 in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, a daughter of the late Hugh and Delia (Sybers) Yankee. She graduated from the College of St. Catherine Department of Nursing in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1954. On May 7, 1955, Pat married William Joseph “Joe” Blake at Ladysmith.

Pat worked as a registered nurse in St. Paul, Ladysmith, and in Michigan at hospitals in Ironwood, Laurium and at the former Marquette General Hospital (MGH) as night shift supervisor. In 1984 she became the operating room supervisor at MGH, a position she held for 10 years until her retirement from the hospital in 1994. In 2013, Pat was selected as the Heritage Award Winner, an award presented annually to a retiree of MGH who has demonstrated dedication, leadership and commitment to the community. She volunteered in the OR waiting room at MGH after her retirement and worked with several colleagues at the hospital and at Northern Michigan University (NMU) to implement a surgical technician training program which allows students to obtain an associate’s degree from NMU.

She also worked for Surgical Services for several years as a consultant on operating room management, and as an assistant director of nursing in Iron Mountain. She implemented the private duty services offering for U.P. Home Health and Hospice. Pat lived a faithful life. She was a member of the Neo-Catechumenal Group at St. Peter Cathedral as well as a member of their altar society. In her free time, Pat enjoyed reading, birdwatching, and travelling with her husband as he broadcast NMU Hockey.

Rich in love, faith, and family, Pat is survived by 8 children, Tracy (Liz) Blake of Interlochen, MI; Bobbi Blake of Northville, MI; Mary (Jeff) Stevens of Dollar Bay, MI; Kathy Blake (Mark Hirvonen) of Marquette, MI; Tom (Jani) Blake of Negaunee; Paul (Donna) Blake of Houghton, MI; Emmett Blake of Marquette, MI; and Beth (Tom) Holmgren of Negaunee, MI, daughter-in-law, Beth Parrish Blake of Louisville, KY; 15 grandchildren, Kimberly (Jeff) Peltier, Jake Stevens, Katie Stevens (Joel Isaacson) and Michael Stevens (Noelle Tazioli), Corey (Blair) Blake, Parker Hirvonen, Sara Pierce, Adam (Rachel) Pierce, Ashley (Dave) Speaker, Haley Blake (Adam Pierce) and Alyssa Blake (Toby Jakeman), Taylor Blake (Andy Contois), Nathan Blake, Hope Blake, and Blake Holmgren; 17 great grandchildren; her sister, Kathleen (Dennis) Mai of Ladysmith, WI; sister-in-law Joan (Peter) Ricca of Anchorage Alaska, several nieces, nephews and cousins and dear friends, especially Mary Patterson, Bev Ojala, Marilyn Hoffman, Margaret Turner and Maureen O’Neill. Preceding her in death besides her parents were her husband, Wm. Joseph “Joe” Blake on December 8, 2004; and two sons, Michael Blake in 1966 and Peter Blake in 2018.

The Blake family will greet relatives and friends on Friday, July 26, 2019 from 10 a.m. until 12 noon in the Bishop’s Room of St. Peter Cathedral at 311 W. Baraga Ave., Marquette, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in the Cathedral at 12 p.m. with the Rev. Msgr. Michael Steber officiating and assisted by Deacon Scott Jamieson.

A luncheon will immediately follow the Mass in the cathedral hall. Burial will take place at a later date in Riverside Cemetery in Ironwood.

Those wishing to make an expression of sympathy to honor the memory of Pat are kindly asked to consider St. Peter Cathedral, 311 Baraga Ave., Marquette, MI 49855 or the St. Vincent de Paul Society, 2119 Presque Isle Ave., Marquette, MI 49855.

The Canale-Tonella Funeral Home is assisting the Blake family where memories may be shared at canalefuneral.com.