Blake Dunham

JERSEYVILLE -   Blake Anthony Dunham, 34, died suddenly at 8:10 a.m.,Saturday, September 9, 2017 in Jerseyville.He was born on November 20, 1982, in Alton,  and from the beginning was an adventurous and big hearted guy.  He attended Jerseyville schools and graduated in 2001 from Jersey Community High School.Blake was a people person, and always strove to make others happy, as well as to make them laugh, and was quite successful as that task.  He worked as a server, along with his sister Kara, at the 518 Restaurant in Jerseyville, and later began working with asbestos abatement with General Waste Services in Alton.  Blake longed to better himself, and at the urging of his sister, Bree, accepted a position with Combined Insurance in September of 2016, and he truly began to excel.  Just last Friday, at Combined's regional meeting, he was recognized for being the top agent in the St. Louis/Southern Illinois market, and was awarded a plaque in recognition for writing over 10k in premiums in one week.  He also was recognized for being the "Team Player" for the month of August.   He worked alongside his sister, Bree, who consistently encouraged him  to be the best that he could be.  They were not only brother and  sister, but best friends and work buddies.His successes at work, did not compare to his love for his children.  Blake always commented that the two best things to ever happen in his life, was the birth of his children, Marlee and Whitten.   They were the two things that consistently made Blake happy and proud, and were the reason that he fought so hard to better himself.  He strove to be the Dad that his children could be proud of.....and they are.Blake enjoyed any opportunity that he could grab to play a round of golf, and participated in various tournaments.   Just like his sister, Kara, he enjoyed the beauty of nature, and could be found hunting rocks, mushrooms or just taking a walk through the woods .   He was also a gifted musician, and played the guitar, and well wrote music, and just recently completed a song dedicated to  the memory of his sister.Blake struggled with the demons of life, but did so with a smile and always with a desire to make someone else happy and feel just a little bit better about themselves.  Along with the rest of his family, Blake experienced deep grief, after the sudden death of his sister Kara, just seven months ago, so there is some sense of comfort, knowing that Kara greeted him in Heaven, and they both are now experiencing and discovering the wonders of God's promise.Surviving are his parents, Joni and Jason Gross of Jerseyville and Kent and Patty Dunham of Kane; his two beloved children, Marlee Rae and Whitten Anthony; a brother, Brett Woolsey of Springfield; two sisters and brothers in law, Bree and Jake Shain and their children, Jacee-K, Jaden, Jaxx and Jonah of Jerseyville and Kendra and Phillip Young and their children,  Peyton and  Carter; a step brother and his wife, Brian and Christa Dunsing and their children, Brynn and Brock, along with his sister Kara's daughter, Kalista Jewel; his grandparents, Tom and Donna Flynn of Jerseyville, Richard and Ruth Ann Dunham of Kane, Anna Marie and William Voiles of Eldred, Robert and Vicki Gross and Naomi Dunsing all of Jerseyville.He was preceded in death by his sister, Kara Michelle Dunham on Feb. 2, 2017; and his grandfather, Edward Dunsing.Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Crawford Funeral Home in Jerseyville, where services will be conducted at 10 a.m. FridaHe will be laid to rest in the Kane Cemetery.In lieu in flowers and plants, memorials may be given to his family which will be used to place a tombstone at the cemetery for both Blake and Kara.

Obit Provided By:
Crawford Funeral Home