Blakeley Butler Humphrey, 85 of Greenwood, IN, passed away Saturday, September 3, 2022, in Chesterton, IN. He was born April 8, 1937, in Warsaw, NY to the late Blakeley Butler Humphrey and Avis (McClure) Humphrey. Blake graduated from Warsaw High School in New York, attended the University at Buffalo, and later pursued continuing education at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN. On October 27, 1962, in Westphalia, IN, Blake married Martha Ann Wenz, who preceded him in death in 2014.
Blake’s career began in engineering at the P. R. Mallory Company in Warsaw, NY where he quickly moved into management positions. This led to a lifetime career with the company that endured several mergers and acquisitions (P.R. Mallory, Emhart, Black & Decker), saw him travelling internationally quite often, and required his and his family’s relocation to numerous states including Indiana, Tennessee, Connecticut, and Maryland. In 1992 Blake was fortunate to retire early from his executive position at Black & Decker. He and his wife, Marty, kept busy in retirement by continuing to move adding North Carolina and Virginia to the states they called home, ultimately settling back in Indiana in 2006. In his later years, his grandchildren were the joy of his life, and of course he never outgrew his love of cars. While those that knew him well will remember him for being strong, determined and driven he also had a great sense of humor and enjoyed a joke even if at his own expense.
Blake is survived by their daughters: Melissa Humphrey of Greenwood, IN and Michelle (Doug) Finck of Gary, IN; grandchildren: Lena and Matzen Finck; and brother, Frederick (Shirley) Humphrey of Warsaw, NY. He was preceded in death by his brother, Charles (Carol) Humphrey and sister, Ann Humphrey.
A private family gathering will be held at a later date. Memorial donations may be made in Blake’s name to The American Red Cross.
