Sylvia "Ditty" Blake

Sylvia “Ditty” (Dugger) Blake, 87, of Fort Lauderdale, passed away on Friday, March 29, 2019, at Holy Cross Hospital. At the time of her passing, she was in the hearts and minds of those she loved the most, including her husband of 67 years, Robert “Bob” Blake, and their five children and four grandchildren, all of whom lived closeby.

Sylvia was born on Nov. 3, 1931, in Columbus, OH, the daughter of Ruth Adelle Stevens Dugger and Henry Belfield Dugger. She befriended Bob Blake when they were both 10-years-old and their families’ properties in Columbus backed up to each other. The two went steady at Bexley High School, from which they graduated in 1949, and later at The Ohio State University in their hometown, where Sylvia belonged to the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. In 1958, the family settled in Pompano Beach, where they raised a daughter and four sons, while frequently taking off to travel the United States and the world. The family estimates their parents clocked more than a million miles crisscrossing America in an RV. At home or away, Sylvia was beloved for her abundant energy and sense of fun and adventure, eagerly joining in frequent family activities of swimming, bicycling, camping, and running. Sylvia also was passionate about family genealogy, tracing both her roots and her husband’s back to Ireland where they both visited. She also was fond of collecting china wear; in 1971, she self-published a book, Flow Blue, on china collections of the same name. Sylvia also served as a teacher at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale over the years.

She is survived by her husband, Robert Blake; her daughter, Mary Blake Ary; her sons and daughters-in-law, Robert Kelly Blake Jr. (Corina), Stephen Michael Blake (Irina), Jeffrey Patrick Blake (Inga), and Kevin Keene Blake (Susan); her grandchildren, Blake Ary, Eugene Blake, Carley Blake, and Kelli Blake; her sister, Ruth Benzenberg of Jupiter. Sylvia was predeceased by her sisters, Nancy Thomas and Mary Becker.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made in Sylvia's memory to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 4595 Bayview Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend Sylvia’s funeral service, on Friday, April 5, 2019, at 10:15 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. where her Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by the Rev. Msgr. Vincent Kelly. Interment will take place in Evergreen Cemetery.

Online tributes at: www.kraeerfairchild.com