Betty L (Stevenson) Blake

Betty L. Blake, 89, a longtime resident of Elkhart, Indiana passed away on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at Elkhart Meadows where she had been living in memory care since 2020.

Born Betty Lou Stevenson on July 3, 1934, to Milton and Ethel Stevenson of Ottawa, Illinois, Betty was the eighth of their nine children. She met Kenneth A. Blake, the love of her life, at Ottawa Township High School, where they were elected Homecoming Queen and King as seniors in 1952. After graduation, Betty worked for the American Association of State Highway Officials (now “AASHTO”) and in 1957, she and Ken moved to Tokyo, Japan where Ken served in the United States Armed Forces.

Upon their return Stateside in 1960, Betty worked for the Peace Corps while Ken completed his master’s degree at the University of Northern Illinois in De Kalb, where they had the first of their three children. They relocated to Elkhart in 1965 where Ken began a long career with Miles Laboratories, and Betty thrived as a stay-at-home mom, craft and floral design expert, and president of her kids’ PTA. Betty returned to the workforce in 1980 at Pierre Moran Junior High and ultimately retired from the Elkhart Community Schools a decade later.

A relentless volunteer and charity event organizer, Betty was constantly focused on improving the lives of those around her, as well as the lives of people she had never met. We will miss her greatly.

Betty was preceded in death by Ken in 2022, just one month shy of their 70th wedding anniversary. She is survived by her three children:  Steven of Palm Springs, California; Stephanie of Bloomington, Indiana; and Jennifer Weaver of Zionsville, Indiana; and three grandchildren: Blake, Brock, and Whitney.

A special memorial service and celebration of life for both Betty and Ken will be held at a later date in their hometown of Ottawa, IL, with interment at Oakwood Memorial Park. Hartzler-Gutermuth-Inman Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, tribute donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.act.alz.org 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Betty L (Stevenson) Blake, please visit our floral store.