Donald M. Blake Jr., real estate figure, dies at 54
In 1947, from his Freeport home on South Long Beach Avenue, Joseph Blake formed a real-estate appraisal company that expanded with Long Island's booming, post-World War II housing market.
Fifty years later, Joseph J. Blake and Associates began its global expansion, reaching into commercial markets in Japan, Europe and South America. That second growth was spearheaded by a third-generation Blake, Joseph's grandson, Donald M. Blake Jr.
Bonnie Blake of Manhattan said her brother championed a new alliance, alongside their father, Donald Blake Sr., and grandfather, the company founder.
"My brother definitely was known in the company as making that move," she said. "He was especially clever in creating global relations."
Donald M. Blake Jr., a talented athlete and the company's executive vice president, died Saturday of complications from hemochromatosis, a blood disorder, his family said. He was 54 and lived in Manhattan.
"He was very outgoing, very jovial, and related well to all the employees," said company treasurer Peter Bosshard. "He loved golf and baseball."
But Bonnie Blake said her brother's passion was soccer; he still played in a league with boyhood friends.
Teammates on his Long Island men's team held a moment of silence in memory of Blake before their game Sunday at Allen Park in Farmingdale.
He also loved swimming and archery, his sister said.
Blake went to St. Paul's Preparatory School in Garden City and then to college at Hobart, where he played on the soccer team and received a bachelor's in history at the school in upstate Geneva. He received a master's in management from Florida International University in 1981.
Blake was involved in several real-estate initiatives and organizations and also was a member of the Appraisal Institute, a global trade association, and the New York State Board of Real Estate Appraisal.
Longtime friend Patrick Mulooly, Newsday Kidsday editor, remembered Blake as someone who was always upbeat and whose good nature was contagious. "He was everyone's friend and everyone wanted to be his friend," Mulooly said.
Besides his sister and father, who lives in Upper Brookville, Blake is survived by two sons, Greg Blake of Manhattan and Donald Blake III, of Cold Spring Harbor; and a brother, Bruce Blake of Canton, N.C.
Visitation is Wednesday at Francis P. DeVine Funeral Home in Oyster Bay. A funeral Mass will be celebrated Thursday at 10:45 a.m. at St. Dominic's Roman Catholic Church in Oyster Bay. Burial will follow at Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury.
