Passing of Father, Son, Friend Blake Encalarde

My name is Liza and I am beyond sad to be launching a fundraiser to support my friends and generally wonderful people, Kelly, Jude and Luna Encalarde in the wake of the loss of their wonderful husband and dad, Blake Belknap Whalen-Encalarde. Blake was an awesome person and bright light, who suddenly passed away just after Christmas on December 26th, 2022 at the age of thirty-four.

Blake was a poet, plumber, teacher, fisherman and alive and wonderful soul who will leave a gap in the lives of many but none more than his wife, kids and parents Kathleen Whalen and Wayne Encalarde.

I was lucky to meet and briefly know Blake over the past couple of years through his daughter Luna who is close friends with my daughter Vivian. She is just 3 and her brother Jude is only 7 – they will miss their dad terribly. I remember him hustling Luna into school many times, and how happy she was in his arms and how she never wanted to say good-bye. I remember the call-out that Blake got in our school newsletter for how well he did Luna’s hair while Kelly was away for a week at a work conference. He was a wonderful friend, father, son and husband and his passing constitutes an unthinkable loss for Kelly who is now single parenting – she is a Special Ed teacher making a difference in the lives of many through her current work with Orleans Parish third graders.

They truly need the support of their friends, family, New Orleans community and anyone willing to come forth to help in their time of grief and need. Even in the wake of his passing, Blake and Kelly are making a difference for those surrounding us through the donation of Blake’s organs to 20 recipients in need. Please consider making a donation to help Kelly, Jude and Luna through their great loss. Your donation will help to support their sudden loss of income that came with Blake's passing, and hopefully get them into a new home so they can leave the house that they're currently living in, in which Blake passed away. Please join me in helping them to move forward past this terrible moment to a better spot, all the while honoring Blake's memory and keeping him alive in spirit.