Rita Blake

Rita L. Blake (Taylor) passed away peacefully Friday, March 14 2025. She had been surrounded and visited by many family members and friends in her final days.

Rita was born on June 18, 1926 to Mabry and Louise (Hiatt) Taylor in Cincinnati, Iowa. Her family moved to Brownsdale, MN when Rita was three years old. She grew up on the family farm while attending school in Brownsdale, Grand Meadow and Austin High School, graduating in 1946. On September 28, 1946, Rita married Harold Blake at the United Methodist Church in Albert Lea. There they welcomed their three sons: Don, Gary and Tim.

In 1953, the family moved to Van Nuys, California to help her Father-in-Law, Homer L. Blake, manage and maintain his apartment complexes in the area. While living in Van Nuys, Harold and Rita fell in love with dancing the night away at the Palladium Dance Hall in Hollywood, CA where the Lawrence Welk Band played every Saturday night.

Rita and the family moved back to Albert Lea in 1959, where Rita worked at the Skyline Supper Club as a waitress and hostess for 27 years and then waitressed at the Elks Club for 18 years.

Rita was a member of United Methodist Church and the Mary Grace Circle. She was very active in many church activities in her younger years. Rita enjoyed taking car of her home, reading, having lunch with friends and most of all, spending time with her family.

Rita is survived by her sons Don (Mary) Blake, Gary (Rochelle) Blake and Tim (Brenda) Blake; grandchildren Stacia (Brian) Johnson, Ryan (Gaylene) Blake, Matt (Megan) Blake, Tony Blake, and Jordan Judd; Step-Grandchildren Amanda (Aaron) Bjorklund and Josh (Sarah) Diaz; Great Step-Grandchildren Katy Donahue and Jill Rusten; sister Janice Fortney; brother Jim (Connie) Taylor; sister-in-law Betty Johnson; 11 great grandchildren and three step-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Rita is preceded in death by her parents Mabry and Louise Taylor; husband Harold; father and mother-in-law Homer and Margaret Blake; brothers Harold, Delmar and Junior Taylor; sisters Helen Walker, Waunita Back, Erma Legler and Mary Lou Stewart; brothers-in-law Joe Walker, Claude Back, Kenneth Legler, Gordon Blake, Richard Blake, Richard Hanson and Ralph Johnson; sisters-in-law Phyllis Blake, Lola Blake, Jean Hanson, Mary Taylor and Betty Taylor. Granddaughter Carrie Blake; infant great-grandson Christopher Blake; nieces Vicki Blake, Kathy Blake, and Cheri Wehrenberg; nephews Ronnie Hanson and Mark Blake.

The family would like to greatly thank the staff at The St. John’s Woodlands Lutheran Nursing Home and the Mayo Clinic Hospice Team for the great job they did caring for Rita over the past few months.

A memorial service for Rita will be held at the United Methodist Church on Tuesday, March 18 at 11am. Visitation will take place at the Bayview Funeral Home from 4pm to 7pm, Monday, March 17, as well as one hour (10am, Tuesday at the church) prior to the funeral service.

The service will be recorded and posted to this page following the service.