Obituary of William M. Blake, Sr.

William M. Blake, Sr., age 87, of Glen Mills, PA, formerly of Swarthmore, PA passed away peacefully on January 21, 2020 at his home at Maris Grove. Born in Philadelphia, Bill served in the Army during the Korean War. He was employed by the United States Government and the Department of Defense for 40 years spending 19 years as the General Support Maintenance Foreman - Nike Defenses for the Mid-Atlantic region. In his early retirement years, he enjoyed driving for the Delaware County Community Transit. Bill was devoted to his faith attending Church weekly. He was a member of St. Cornelius Catholic Church and previously Notre Dame de Lourdes Parish. He enjoyed summers at Bayberry Cove in Marmora, NJ and also time with his family and grandchildren crabbing at Corson's Inlet in New Jersey. Bill was active at the Maris Grove community belonging to the Veteran's group and he also enjoyed playing Pinochle with his friends. In addition to his parents, John and Mary Dyer Blake, he is preceded in death by a brother, Jack Blake and a sister, Mary McAllister. Bill is survived by his wife of 67 years, Elizabeth "Betty" O'Donnell Blake, 5 children, William (Cindy) Blake Jr., Susanne (John) Pooler, Deborah (Joseph) Tancredi, Robert (Shona) Blake and Lisa (Jeffrey) Gowman, 2 brothers, Joseph and James Blake, 12 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. A visitation will be held on Friday, January 24th, from 9:30am - 10:45am at St. Cornelius Catholic Church, 160 Ridge Rd., Chadds Ford, PA followed by a Funeral Mass at 11AM. Interment, S.S. Peter and Paul Cemetery, Springfield, PA. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Maris Grove Resident Care Fund, 200 Maris Grove Way, Glen Mills, PA 19342. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.paganofuneralhome.com.