Doris M. Blake

Doris M. Blake, age 103, passed away peacefully at the Chippewa Manor Nursing Home on April 2, 2024.  

She was born in Chippewa Falls on October 5, 1920, the only child of Bert and Florence (Madson) Bassette. She was baptized at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. Doris attended school in Chippewa Falls and graduated from Chippewa Falls Senior High School in 1938. After graduation, she attended the Eau Claire State Teachers College and the Chippewa Valley Vocational School. She began working for her father in the office of the Eau Claire Cleaners. It was there that she met her future husband, Robert Blake, when he brought in his naval uniform to be dry cleaned. They married in Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church on May 29, 1947. As a wedding present, Doris’s parents gave them their family cottage on Lake Wissota. Bob and Doris had the cottage torn down and built a new home on the site in 1951. There they raised their three children, Sharon, Mary, and Tom. Their children loved the lake life so much that they all moved into their own homes on Lake Wissota as adults.   

During their marriage, Doris and Bob enjoyed camping and traveling with friends in their travel trailers and later in their motorhome. In 1990, they purchased a condo in Las Vegas where they would spend the winter months. Doris loved her social life. She liked to bowl with the Lady Elks and golfed with them until she was 91. Doris played in a card group for many years with friends from the neighborhood and others over the years. Doris was a lifelong member of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. She was very proud that her grandfather was one of the founders of the congregation and together with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, there were six generations all members of Our Saviour’s. The church and its mission were an integral part of her life. Tuesday Bible Study and Sunday worship were two of her favorite weekly events.  

 Doris was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Robert Blake, and her daughter Sharon Blake.  

She is survived by her daughter, Mary Blake; son, Thomas (Xiaomei) Blake; granddaughters, Amy (Neil) Jarosz, Katie Therou, Renee Martell, Melissa Blake (Geoff Hinde); grandson, Nicholas (Alicia) Blake; as well as nine great-grandchildren, Kristen Simmons, Elaina Belland, Jared Jarosz, Samuel Jarosz, Blake Martell, James Munn III, Eleanor Hinde, Owen Blake, and Remington Blake. The family would also like to thank Doris’s special friends, Betty Oddo and Vivian Dahl for all the joy and excitement they brought to Doris’s life by including her in so many fun activities. Doris was also so appreciative of their frequent visits after she was no longer able to leave the house.  

The family would like to also thank St. Joseph’s Hospice, Mayo Hospice, and the Chippewa Manor Nursing Home staff for the wonderful care they provided for Doris during her final months.  

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, April 20, at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, 1300 Mansfield Street, Chippewa Falls at 11 a.m. with Rev. Karen Behling officiating. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. at the church. Burial will be in Forest Hill Cemetery, Chippewa Falls.

In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer memorials to Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Feed My People, or Irvine Park.