William “Bill” Blake, 71

William “Bill” Blake, of Stevens Point, and formerly of Ashland, Wis., passed away peacefully the morning of April 17, 2023, at North Ridge Assisted Living in Stevens Point, at the age of 71.

Bill was born on May 27, 1951 in Ashland, the oldest of four sons born to William and Patricia (née Cox) Blake. Growing up, the family remained in the area where Bill attended local schools. He attended Depadua High School for two years, and then went to Ashland High School where he graduated in 1969. Bill was active in youth sports growing up and he was an outstanding three-sport athlete at both high schools.

Following high school, Bill attended the University of North Dakota where he studied Business and Education. He was a proud member of the university’s football team while in college and he earned First Team All-Conference Honors (center) in both his junior and senior seasons. He was also a team captain as a senior, leading that 1972 team to a 10-1 record. The season was topped off with a 38-21 win over Cal Poly in the Camellia Bowl, in Sacramento, Cali. Later, in 2003, that team was inducted into the University of North Dakota’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

After graduating from UND, Bill continued playing football as a professional player. This included time with the Chicago Bears training camp. While there, he played two pre-season games, one of them being against the Packers, where he was honored to play at Lambeau Field. He then went on to play for the Chicago Fire; part of the short-lived World Football League; as well as semi-professional teams in Florida and Indiana.

In 1978, Bill moved to Stevens Point, where he began a 36-year teaching career at SPASH. However, he didn’t give up football even a little bit. He found great joy in coaching young athletes; coaching right alongside teaching, even coaching baseball as well.

Shortly after moving to Stevens Point, Bill met, and later married, Kathy. While the two later divorced, they welcomed four beautiful children in their time together. Then, in 2014, Bill pursued another dream and relocated to Ashland, back to his roots, where he continued coaching as the head coach for the Ashland Oredockers.

While it’s obvious that Bill loved football, his competitive nature brought him to truly enjoy almost any sport, including baseball and golf. High school athletic programs were of great importance to Bill, and he would support them in any way he could. Oftentimes that support was displayed through his passion for coaching and teaching.

Outside of sports, Bill had a fun-loving nature, which attracted others to him; and he had a knack for developing deep friendships with those around him, especially teammates and other coaches. He was a free-spirit who enjoyed socializing with his friends, relishing in an old fashioned, a Jameson & Coke, or simply, a good beer.

When he wasn’t living in Ashland, he made a point to visit as often as he could, to spend time with his friends and family from the area. Ultimately, those who knew Bill best, knew of his other love; his huskies. He took great pride in raising huskies over the years. While he loved each and every husky he raised, Nala was his favorite; she was “the Queen of his Heart.”

Bill is lovingly survived by his children, Cory, Heidi, Will (Jenn), Mike, and Elliott (Nicole); his grandchildren, Braelyn, Rylee, Willow, Colt, Maddie, Ellie, and Gracie; and his faithful companions, Nala and Gala. He is further survived by his brothers, Tom (Luanne) and Bob (Janet); his former wife, Kathy; and many nieces and nephews.

Bill was preceded in death by his mother, Patricia; his father, William; his stepmother, Betty; and a brother, Timothy.

The family would like to thank Copperleaf Senior Living for the compassionate care Bill received at the end of his life. They would also like to thank Bill’s University of North Dakota football family for the many years of wonderful memories as well as honoring Bill and his 1972 teammates on the 50th Anniversary of their championship season with an on-campus celebration this past fall. That proved to be a wonderful opportunity for Bill to reconnect with old teammates one last time. Lastly, they would like to thank the staff at SPASH for all the memories and years of support.

For those wishing to express their sympathy, in lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made in Bill’s honor to any of the following: SPASH Athletic Program, “Oredocker Foundation” that supports co-curricular activities in the School District of Ashland (oredockerfoundation.org), or to the UND Bill Blake Football Scholarship Endowment (made out to “UND Foundation,” 3801 University Avenue, Stop 8157, Grand Forks, ND, 58202).

While a formal funeral service will be held in Ashland at a later date, Bill’s family would like to invite his Stevens Point area friends and family to gather and share memories on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 from 4-7 p.m. at Shuda Funeral Chapel, 3200 Stanley St.

Online condolences may be sent by visiting www.shudafuneral.com.