Emily Tracy BLAKE

Emily Tracy Blake, of Chagrin Falls, OH, (92), passed away at home on December 30, 2021.

Emily was born to and raised by Raymond and Alice Tracy in Hubbard, Ohio, where she graduated from high school.

Emily greatly enjoyed her years at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, where she was a member of sorority Alpha Phi. (It was a different time: her children liked to kid her about mailing home from college her laundry to be washed, apparently “normal” at the time!) During one college summer, she waitressed on Cape Cod. Emily graduated from Denison in 1951 and remained active with the alumni group Denison Women, at one point serving as president.

After college, Emily went to work for Ohio Bell for three years.

Emily met her future husband, Robert (Bob) H. Blake, at the Church of the Covenant in Cleveland, Ohio. They married in Hubbard in 1954. They remained members of the church for their entire lives, with Emily serving terms as chair of the fundraising and membership committees.

Emily and Bob begot four children in 5.5 years (1956 to 1961). She was a consistently upbeat wife and mother, sweet and considerate to all her children and their friends.

Emily enjoyed all things family especially the holidays, working in her yard in Cleveland Heights, encouraging her children to garden, reading, playing bridge, going on travel adventures, and relaxing in Florida. Emily took more seriously to tennis in middle age, first helping her children practice (thank you Doctor Renner for having a court next door to us), then playing in family doubles, then expanding into several circles of adults playing doubles in both Ohio and Florida.

Emily also supported all her children in Scouting endeavors, including fundraising — even if it meant her garage was a temporary warehouse for thousands of boxes of Girl Scout cookies or GE lightbulbs. When visiting summer camp, her sons have a vivid memory of her crossing the Vermillion River on a downed tree — the same way the scouts crossed.

Emily volunteered for many years at her church’s “Cache,” a store that sells donated clothes and other necessities to both church members and nearby low-income residents. She also volunteered at Ronald McDonald House at University Circle and as an election poll worker, a job she took seriously and with pride in our democratic institutions.

Starting in the late 1970’s, Emily and Bob would spend several months a year in Bonita Springs, Florida, first at Bonita Beach and then at Bonita Bay, building a group of friends around tennis, bridge, beach walking and shared meals.

Emily was a passionate fan of the Cleveland Indians, Cavaliers, and Browns. Not normally known for raising her voice, her family could be taken aback by her enthusiastic coaching of Cleveland athletes: “Get ‘em!...Get ‘em!...GET ‘EM!!”. In 2016, her sons Tracy and Bruce treated Emily by them all attending one of the World Series Games: Cleveland lost the game, but Emily loved the spectacle on a beautiful fall evening.

Emily also cherished the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Playhouse, being a regular attendee and supporter for several years.

Emily was predeceased by Robert in 2005. She is survived by her four children: Tracy (Beth) of Gates Mills, OH; Bruce (Susie) of Moreland Hills, OH; Jane (Jeff) of Illinois; and Bill (Harriet) of Santa Rosa, CA; and four grandchildren: Malcolm, Cornell, Carney, and Zoey.

A memorial service will be held at Church of the Covenant 11205 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44106 on April 30, 2022 at 4:00 PM. If desired, memorial donations may be made in memory of Bob Blake to the Alzheimer Association, or the Church of the Covenant, or to any charity of your choice.

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