October 3, 1936 — March 22, 2026
Walter John Blake, age 89, of St. Ansgar, Iowa passed away peacefully, to meet our Lord, after a recent fall and broken hip on Sunday, March 22, 2026, at Good Samaritan Society Lutheran Nursing Home. Walter (Walt or Wally) was born on October 3, 1936, to Raymond Blake and Helen (Durben) Blake, in the family home, Meyer, Iowa. He spent the greater part of his life dedicated to the care and operation of the family farm near Stacyville, Iowa.
Walt graduated from Visitation Catholic High School in 1954. At age 26, after working as an apprentice electrician and a hired farm hand, he moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he worked for a boat motor manufacturer, a garbage disposal manufacturer and the American Motors Corp. helping produce the Rambler car. He also worked part time cleaning muskrat hides.
In 1964, he moved back to Stacyville where his family encouraged him to take over the family farm. Walt was a farmer in the truest sense–he was born on a farm and grew up on a farm. So, he accepted the challenge of carrying on the farming tradition.
In 1966, Walt met Sharon at The Terp Ballroom, where they both loved to dance. The couple soon married June 10, 1967, in the Visitation Catholic Church, Stacyville, Iowa. From that union came six children: John (Johnny) W. Blake (deceased, 1968), Cynthia K. Blake (m. Greg A. Yokanovich), Linda J. Blake (m. Luis Lampón), Raymond C. Blake, Dennis W. Blake, and Susan E. Blake (m. Shane Reese). From those are the grandchildren: Enrique (m. Sidney Claire), Catherine, Ileana, Spencer, Evelyn, Silas, and Bram.
For over 26 years, he farmed the fields, contributed to the Stacyville Coop, and raised hogs and cattle. Walt was one of the first hog farmers to incorporate a large finishing house into his operation. He was active in the Stacville community, helping with the care of Visitation Catholic School and the Annual Fall Festival. He was a member of Visitation Knights of Columbus, Catholic Order of Foresters and served on the Board of Visitation Catholic Church.
Due to the rough times farmers had in the 1980’s, Walt chose to sell the family farm. On a sad, brutally cold day in January 1990, everything was auctioned off for pennies on the dollar. The Blake farm was now part of the dismal statistics of the 1980’s Farm Crisis. Walter’s view on life was to persevere with God’s help. The Blake family moved to St. Ansgar in the Spring of 1990 and Wally got a job at Nor Oats (now Grain Millers) as a machine operator. He retired with fifteen years in 2004.
Throughout his life, Walter played baseball with his brothers; enjoyed playing in the Stacyville softball league; went on a yearly, fall fishing trip to Minnesota and golfed until a stroke slowed his life down. He always loved several sports teams and was a faithful fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes, NY Yankees, and the Green Bay Packers.
He joins in heaven, his wife, Sharon; brothers/wives, Willard and Germaine (Mayer), Donald and Jean, Charles and Myrna (Theobald), and Glenn. In addition to his living children and grandchildren listed, he is survived by his brother/wife, Roger and Betty (Thome) and sister-in-law, Patricia (May), nieces and nephews.
A Funeral Mass will be at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Visitation Catholic Church. A visitation be held 9:00 -11:00 a.m., prior to the funeral at the church. Burial will be at the Visitation Catholic Cemetery, with lunch following.
Schroeder-Hoff Funeral Home of St. Ansgar, IA is assisting the family with arrangements.
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