Justin Leo "Putti" Blake

BLAKE, FOWLER, LESSMAN, ESTLE, EVERETT, KRUEGER, ALFORD, DOMBEY, NEIPERT

Posted By: Judy Kelley (volunteer) (email)
Date: 5/25/2009 at 21:10:55

Muscatine Journal, July 4, 2004

OMAHA, Iowa - Justin Leo "Putti" Blake, 60, of Letts, Iowa, died Friday, July 2, 2004, in Omaha, Neb. due to a sudden illness.

Services are 11 a.m., Wednesday, July 7, at the Stacy-Lewis Funeral Home, Columbus Junction. The Rev. Cathy Whitlatch of the Columbus Junction United Methodist Church will officate. Burial will be at the Letts Cemetery with full military rites. Pallbearers will be Scott Blake, Rodney Kulhers, Bill Hinman, Ron Swailes, Jay Kemp, and Clifford Kruger. Following the committal services, a time of food and fellowship will be held at the VFW in Columbus City.

Visitation is 4-7 p.m., Tuesday, July 6, at the funeral home. A memorial has been established at the funeral home in Justin's name. Sympathy notes may be left to the family at www.lewisfuneralhomes.com.

Mr. Blake was born Jan. 14, 1944, in Letts, the son of Madeleo and Ruth (Fowler) Blake. Later in life he lived with his adoptive parents Hall and Edith (Lessman) Estle. He married Martha Everett in Hesperia, Ca. Aug. 6, 1999. He proudly served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War from Nov. 14, 1961 until October 14, 1964.

Justin was an owner-operator of his semi truck for many years and worked for Warren Transport in Waterloo. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and the VFW in Columbus Junction. He enjoyed fishing and drinking coffee while he visited with friends and family.

Survivors include his wife, Martha of Letts; son, Scott Leo Blake of Muscatine; two daughters, Kelly Jo Blake of Grandview and Jeanine Krueger of Cranston; step-son, Daniel Alford and his wife, Barbara of Redlands, CA.; two step-daughters, Joanna Lee Dombey and her husband, Andrew of Ft. Mohave, Az. and Laura Ann Alford of Cedar Rapids; four sisters, Jolynn Blake of Cedar Rapids, Jackie Kemp of Grandview, Janet Griffith and her husband, Dick of Letts and Julia Humphries of Fruitland; 15 grandchildren and his life-long friend Bill Hinman.

He was preceded in death by his parents, adoptive parents, daughter Kimberly, brother Warren Blake and his first wife, Judy Neipert.