Rest in Peace, Mary Anne
June 2nd, 2008 by Steve
Mary Anne Blake, wife of former Birmingham City Councilman Dr. Jimmy Blake, died this morning in a tragic motor vehicle accident. Jimmy is a good friend of mine, and I’d like to offer condolences and prayers from my entire family to his.
While we’ve talked on the phone since then, I last saw Jimmy a few weeks ago when he joined my family, a few friends and former Congressman Bob Barr for dinner at a restaurant in Five Points South.
My fondest memory of Mary Anne is when she spent all day with me working a polling place during the 2005 Birmingham City Council election. Her reputation, energy and character helped sway a lot of votes at that box that day. I really enjoyed working with her.
The world will never be quite the same after the loss of Mary Anne Blake.
4 Responses to “Rest in Peace, Mary Anne”
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John Killian wrote on 06/3/08 at 1:17 am :
Steve, I want to agree with everything you say about Mary Ann. This woman exuded enthusiasm and love for her friends. Mary Ann helped more people in her life than most full church congregations.
This day has been a sad one for many of us.
Mary Anne Blake, RIP at Punditry by the Pint wrote on 06/3/08 at 2:14 am :
[…] Via Steve. […]
Jackson wrote on 06/3/08 at 8:00 pm :
My Mom actually called to tell me the news, and asked, “Do you remember her.” I don’t think anyone who met Mary Ann would forget. I certainly didn’t.
John McCain is building a vacation home in Iraq.
Gary Fincher wrote on 06/6/08 at 8:57 am :
Wow, I am shocked. I knew both Jimmy & Mary Anne very well, albeit I haven’t spoken to either of them since the early 90s.
I actually stayed in their basement bedroom for many months while helping to circulate Jimmy’s petition to roll back the Birmingham city sales tax. This was when Jimmy was chairman of the Alabama LP.
Mary Anne actually helped me and did a great service to me (which not many people would do) - she covered for me by sending in my mandatory probation mailers (I was serving bogus probation as a political prisoner after being railroaded into a plea bargain after being arrested for collecting signatures for the LP pres. ticket) from Birmingham, so they would have a Birmingham postmark, enabling me to return to my regular life in Maine after the ‘92 presidential election. It was her idea; she actually risked legal hot water herself for this, and I was forced to place great trust in her.
Mary Anne followed through (it entailed mailing a form to me, my mailing it back to her, and her mailing to the Birmingham probation departmetn, 3 consecutirve motnhs).
This was my best memory of Mary Anne: she was awesome.
My condolences go out to Jimmy Blake, as I suffered the loss of my own activist/travelling petitioner wife (Karen) after eight years of LP national activism, in 2002, and can relate to what he must be going through. I’m sorry for your loss, Jimmy.