Larry Blake's Custer State Park Memorial

My name is Hailey Blake and I am creating this page on behalf of Larry Blake’s children Kia, Cassie, Rick, and Kaylee, and his wife Kathy Blake, for a memorial fund honoring Larry.

A bit about the memorial:

We hope to raise funds for a contribution to Custer State Park in South Dakota, a beautiful piece of wildlife and natural history nestled in the Black Hills, and one of Larry’s favorite places on earth.

Custer Park accepts donations of any amount, but at certain thresholds, commemorates donors through engraved plaques that are displayed on the Donation Wall at the Custer Park Visitor’s Center. Accordingly, we hope to reach a minimum goal of $2,000 for a plaque to be engraved and placed in Larry’s memory. (There are also higher "silver" and "gold" tiers at the $4,000 and $6,000 levels, respectively, which we would pursue should we exceed our goal.) There, Larry’s abiding love and respect for the land will be memorialized for all to see, including current and future generations of Larry’s family who will continue to travel to the Park.

The Park and the Black Hills more generally hold a special place in the hearts of the Blake family, being the location of many family vacations and camping trips. Ask any of the Blakes and they’ll have plenty of stories to tell: of countless trips around the wildlife loop and its herd of beautiful, enduring American Bison (or the greedy semi-domesticated donkeys), of various Blake children clambering up and around the cliffs, or of the mysteriously missing bocce ball at the Grace Coolidge campsite.

Now, a bit more about Larry:

Where to even begin. Larry Blake is so deeply loved, and will be so sorely missed, by anyone lucky to have crossed his path. He is a warm and thoughtful husband, father, uncle, and grandfather to his family. He is a respected and cherished member of his community due to his long years teaching and coaching, particularly at the IKM-Manning district in Manning, IA, and other locations.

Larry was diagnosed with lung cancer in September 2022, and along with his family has had a long, difficult year facing a variety of treatments and symptoms that arrived without a pause for breath. In early 2023, we were informed that the cancer had migrated to his brain and our time with him would be limited, although we did not know exactly how long we had. The family was fortunate to come together once again at Custer Park in June, a bittersweet capstone for a lifetime of similar trips. We enjoyed every moment, despite the thoughts of what we would soon be missing.

In October, the family was given the devastating news that further treatment is not an option for Larry and now prepares to say goodbye. It is terribly, overwhelmingly difficult to know that soon we will not be graced by Larry’s wit, candor, and love. He lives on, now and forever, in the children and grandchildren he leaves behind, in the lines of their bodies and the shapes of their souls.

We will miss his laugh, his speech and his silence, his meaningful eye contact and perfectly timed comments. We will miss his advice on the many complexities of life, his commentary on high school and college football, and his passion for the fair treatment of all people. We will miss his hugs that made you feel safe, secure, and grounded. We will miss his loyalty, his steadfastness, and how he has always stuck firmly to his values. We will miss all of you, Larry.

Thank you for reading and for your support of the Blake family in this extremely challenging time.