Owen C. Blake

Owen W. Blake, age 74, passed away on July 30. 2018.

Born in Rochester, NY, Owen graduated from Irondequoit HS in 1961, from MIT with a Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering in 1965, and from the University of Delaware with a MBA in 1974.

He was employed by E. I. du Pont de Nemours for over 36 years, and worked for DuPont’s Japanese affiliate DuPont Mitsui Fluorochemicals for an additional 4 years.  He held positions in manufacturing, market development, finance, sales, and international business.  As Fluorochemicals Asia-Pacific Regional Manager, International Market Manager, and Global Product Manager, he travelled extensively and enjoyed friendships and business acquaintances around the world. He relished the opportunity to learn about the history, culture, politics, and other aspects of life in the countries he visited.

Owen enjoyed athletics. He played Little League and high school baseball, co-captained his high school senior soccer team and was selected to the All-County soccer team.  At MIT, he was captain of the freshman soccer team, started on the MIT freshman lacrosse team, and played intramural hockey for Sigma Nu fraternity.  He was elected to Quadrangle Club and Beaver Key sophomore and junior honoraries.  After college, he played a lot of tennis and golf, ran a few 5-Ks, and did a bit of hiking, camping, sailing, fly fishing, and snorkeling in Maui, St. John, Fiji, and Bermuda.  His lifetime favorite sport was skiing, from his 20’s into his 70’s. He was a member of the Wilmington Ski Club.  He and Harriet, his wife of 39 years, enjoyed skiing with friends in the beauty of the French, Swiss, Austrian, and Italian Alps, and at resorts throughout North America.  He also liked to travel, read, relax at the beach, and spend time with family and friends. Everyone in his family was fun-loving and competitive, and enjoyed challenging each other in various sports and games whenever they got together.

He was pre-deceased by his parents Owen W. Blake and Myrtle E. Blake, both of Rochester, and is survived by his wife Harriet of Wilmington, son Jason of Philadelphia, and sister Judith E. Blake of Rochester.

There will be a visitation from 2 to 2:30 pm followed by a memorial service on Thursday, August 9, 2018 at the Chandler Funeral Home, 2506 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Delaware Hospice, 16 Polly Drummond Center, 2^nd Floor, Newark, DE 19711 or your favorite charity.