OBITUARY FOR ROBERT D. BLAKE
Long-time resident of Wellesley, MA, Robert Dana Blake known by everyone as “Bob” passed peacefully on December 22nd just after his 81st birthday at Seasons in Danvers. After dealing with Alzheimer’s for a number of years, his heart, and he had a big one, just gave out.
Bob was born in Boston and spent most of his life in Wellesley and Newton. He graduated from Newton High School and then went to Dartmouth College, class of 1965. Bob was a great advocate for all things Dartmouth. As a Dartmouth volunteer, some of these activities included class secretary, club president, alumni council nominating committee, alumni trustee search committee, regional agent, and many class of ’65 reunion committees. In 1996 Bob received the Dartmouth College Alumni Award. This is Dartmouth College’s highest alumni honor.
Following graduation, Bob spent two years active duty in Hawaii with the Navy, and then returned to Tuck School in Hanover for one year, afterwards taking graduate courses at Boston College of Management where he met Sharon, his future wife.
Bob continued his service with the Navy as a Reservist from 1967 to 1994 for a total of 29 years of service. His active duty time was spent on ships in Hawaii, other areas in the Pacific region, and Vietnam. This time was followed by a period spent on with naval reserve ships until they left Boston in 1974. The last ten years of his naval career were spent at the Naval War College in Newport, RI where he was an instructor in Command Excellence and War Gaming. He retired as a Captain. Bob was very proud of his naval service.
In addition to his military service, Bob joined the MIT Alumni Association in 1976 and was responsible for both Alumni Relations and Alumni fundraising within the New England region. He helped to establish programs such as the long running Boston Seminar Series, and the MIT Enterprise Forum that became an international program. In 1980, he assumed responsibility for the Western US region, and in 1993 was assigned the Asian Pacific countries and the Midwestern US, while retaining the Southwestern US region. With the creation of a Geographic Programs group within the Alumni Association in 1996, Bob assumed a new position responsible for Alumni Continuing Education and a new Speakers Bureau. He became an Honorary Member of the MIT Alumni Association in 1990. Bob retired from MIT as Sr. Regional Director for the West. This territory extended from Chicago to Asia. He had many warm memories of his time at MIT.
In his spare time Bob thoroughly enjoyed playing tennis and golf. He played both very well and was a member of the Longwood Cricket Club for about fifty years. Grass was his favorite tennis surface.
Bob and Sharon traveled as often as they could. Sharon would come home and announce we are going white water rafting, or parasailing, or scuba diving, or tree climbing on the Amazon, zip lining in Alaska, or riding wherever possible during their travels. He was always a good sport about these adventures and enjoyed them. Their last trip was a wonderful 80-day cruise around South America, Antarctica, the Falkland’s, the Amazon, Devils Island, and some Caribbean islands on the way home. It was the trip of a lifetime and then COVID hit. Nothing was ever the same after that.
Bob was preceded in death by his nephew Richard Baker, his brother-in-law Malcolm White, and his parents Henry and Mary Blake. His wife Sharon, his sister Nancy White, his niece Kate Jefferson and her spouse John Twomey, and his grandniece Kaia Jefferson, a talented musician, survive Bob. His brother-in-law Reginald Murphy, his sister-in-law Cheryl Murphy and their two sons Philip and Douglas also survive him.
Per Bob’s request, he will be buried at sea by the US Navy. A private celebration will take place in the fall in Maine. If you would like to give a donation to honor Bob Blake, please consider the Wounded Warrior project or Alzheimer’s charity.