James Warren Blake

James “Warren” Blake, 55, passed away Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at his home in Parksley, VA. Born April 2, 1968 in Nassawadox, VA, he was the son of Esther Northam Blake of Mears, VA and the late Frank William Blake II. 

Following graduation from Arcadia High School, Warren worked at Perdue before starting his own construction business, which he operated for over a decade. His knowledge resulted in the intense scrutiny of every building he ever walked in, and approval was rare and notable. Over the last 17 years, Warren worked for the NAES Power Plant in New Church, VA. Known for being an adrenaline junkie, he enjoyed paddle boarding, fishing, slacklining with beer in hand, and surfing poorly to the entertainment of onlookers on Assateague Island. His adventurous spirit will be carried on in his daughters, whom he took skydiving, teetering on the edge of the Grand Canyon, and terrified them with his usual antics of snake-charming, seen when he wrangled an unsuspecting rattlesnake in Death Valley (much to their dismay). When Warren wasn’t rappelling from trees or tinkering with tools, he was enjoying an expertly made cocktail on the porch with his wife, Tracy, and beloved dog, Cash, and over the last four months, enjoyed bonding with his first grandchild of the family, Levi. 

In addition to his mother, Warren is survived by his wife of 31 years, Tracy Parks Blake; daughters, Sara Blake Taylor and her husband, Dustin, of Stuarts Draft, VA and Savannah Blake and her fiancé, Christopher Young, of Lexington, VA; sisters, Ann Blake and Heather Wood Blake; brothers, Frank W. “Bill” Blake III (Michelle) and Hunter B. Blake (Sarah); grandson, Levi Taylor; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to his father, he was predeceased by his brother, Andrew “Brian” Blake. 

A service in celebration of Warren’s life will be held at the Williams-Parksley Funeral Home on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at 6:00 p.m.

Warren often donated to the Red Cross. Please consider a monetary contribution in his honor to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37839, Boone, IA 50037-0839 (www.redcross.org/donate) or simply register to donate at a blood drive in your area. 

Memory tributes may be shared with the family at www.williamsfuneralhomes.com. 

Arrangements by the Williams-Parksley Funeral Home. 

“The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure.

The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences,

and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon,

for each day to have a new and different sun.”

~ Christopher McCandless

(Excerpt from novel, “Into the Wild,” by Jon Krakauer)

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