Sunny Ray Blake
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| August 31, 1945 ~
August 16, 2011 |
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Sunny Ray Blake, 66, passed away unexpectedly
August 16, 2011, at his Northside home in
Bonners Ferry.
Sunny was a resident of Boundary County for more
than ten years and greatly enjoyed his time here
during his disability/retirement. He suffered
from diabetes and numerous other ailments that
he had accumulated over the years of his
colorful life. He enjoyed fishing and camping
around our many beautiful lakes and enjoyed
telling tales of his very interesting past to
his friends.
Sunny was born in Roseburg, Oregon, to Constance
Ann (Agee) and Lee E. Stevens. Sunny said that
his mother and father both had Native American
heritage. Sunny would tell stories about his
grandfather Harley Agee's store and farm near
Roseburg during Sunny's growing up years. As a
teen, Sunny moved with his parents and
half-brothers to Alaska and told stories of
their homesteading claim they worked in the
1960s.
Sunny was drafted into the Navy in 1963 and
served early in and around Vietnam/Cambodia. He
later worked as a steel worker, mechanic, and
truck driver all over the United States,
spending many of his adult years in southern
California, Newman Lake and Colville,
Washington; later, Hayden and Sandpoint were
other places he called home.
Sunny seemed rather gruff upon first impression,
but was much softer once you got to know him,
surprising his friends with gifts and/or
wonderful food he had prepared from his own
talented recipes. Sunny enjoyed his computer and
internet and kept in touch on Skype and Uvoo
with his friends, particularly Steve Tunison and
Randy Poston.
Sunny was preceded in death by his mother and
father and numerous half-brothers. He was the
only child of his mother, although he had
half-brothers who were much older from his
father's previous marriage.
Sunny told of being married multiple times, but
sadly had not had contact with his sons, born in
the late 1960s, in 40 years or more.
Sunny considered his friends to be his real
family, many of whom he had met in the vans of
the Ziegwied's North Country Transportation
Services over the previous decade. Sunny enjoyed
riding with North Country over the years and
became good friends with the drivers Mike
Ziegwied, George Mobley and Peggy Tong (and
their families), as well as Lavonne Gilliland,
Bear and Mary Ann Bean, Gene and Sam McKinney,
and Ginny Brooks among others.
Sunny spoke fondly of Pam Hartman, who was
instrumental in helping him get on his feet when
he moved to Bonners Ferry in the late 1990s. He
also spoke fondly of his caregiver Linda Mabee,
who Sunny considered to be the finest caregiver
he ever had.
Sunny made his wishes known to his friends that
he did not want a funeral service, but he will
always be remembered by his friends as an
independent man who was a true character.
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