Honor Patrick's Memory: A Family's Final Wish

My little brother Edward Patrick Blake II (Alexander) passed away on June 13th, 2025.

The many people who knew him also knew that he severely suffered from mental illness and drug addiction for the last decade. What most people did not see though, was his indescribable resilience.

Life had not been easy for our brother or our family. He lost his father at 18, his home at 23, and he dealt with PTSD-induced schizophrenia that led to chronic homelessness and he eventually developed an opioid addiction. He was cycled in and out of a system that failed people like him regularly. Told there were limited funds or shelters for single men without children, denied disability benefits, prosecuted for stealing food and hygiene items or trespassing for shelter. Bouncing from hospitals to jails to the streets, and back again.

But despite this, he persevered. He attempted numerous trips to inpatient, held jobs intermittently (in spite of his lengthy criminal record for the above mentioned and extreme mental instability), he complied with all program requests, went to meetings, networked to find a helping hand, got his drivers license reinstated, and attempted to get medication dialed in on multiple occasions.

Yet, he never saw the light at the end of a tunnel that was filled with pain and hurdles for him. The world had given up on him. Friends stopped taking his calls. People who knew him crossed the street to avoid the weirdo talking to himself. He got by simply on the grace of strangers and a few familiar faces.

A few years ago, on one of the few occasions he spoke with any clarity, he told me that he didn’t wish to go by his name anymore. That he’d like people to start calling him Alexander. At first, I assumed that it was his illness speaking up, until he said this, “ I don’t want to be Patrick anymore. There isn’t anything but bad things attached to that name. People hear that name and think of a criminal, or an addict. I want to start fresh, with a clean slate.” Having been named after our father, it broke my heart to hear that, but I understood.

But I am begging you, to please say our brother’s name today and remember him for more than who he had become. Please remember him for who he was or what he could have been, had he had a stronger support system. Patrick was brilliant. He was kind and helpful. He was a good friend and loving son. He was hilarious and goofy. He had the thickest skin I’d ever known. He was Brave. He was my first Best Friend.

As many of you know, we also lost our mother last month. It took all of our pulled resources to lay her to rest. We are asking any and all people who knew Patrick to please dust off any piggy banks and donate to help lay him to rest with our parents. Our brother may have lost dignity in his life, but we hope we can give him some back in his death. Even if you cannot donate, please share the link, so it makes it to as many people as possible. Also, please share any stories, photos, or nice memories you have of Patrick to his Facebook page so that we can revisit on the hard days to make us smile.