Blake Alan Present

Blake Alan Present, 59, passed away on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, surrounded by his son Ethan and his wife of 25 years, Rachel. Blake was born June 1, 1965, in Richmond, Indiana, and grew up in Evansville, Indiana. He graduated from Harrison High School and then went on to graduate from the University of Cincinnati, where he was an active member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. After graduating from Cincinnati with a political science degree, Blake served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army as a military intelligence officer at FT. Huachuca in Sierra Vista, Arizona. His military service earned him Top Security Clearance as he worked with Hughes Aeronautics, monitoring drug surveillance between Central America and the United States. Blake then moved to Houston, Texas, where he met his wife, Rachel, at a Jewish singles Torah study group. He started a 30-year career with the Houston Police Department, working in three departments: gang task force, juvenile sex crime, and narcotics. He honorably retired as a senior police detective. While in Texas, he continued his education and earned a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Houston. His hobbies included avidly working with his son on creative gifts for friends and family by either using his laser engraver and 3D printer or creating personalized leather gifts. He enjoyed creating household objects using his woodworking tools. Among his many other interests, he was a certified cave scuba diver, an avid Ham Radio operator, and an active member of the Houston Rodeo Committee. He loved to duck hunt and brought many ducks home from Kroger’s, where he claimed that he had shot them. Along with hunting ducks, he also loved to fish and brought home many fish from Kroger’s as well. Blake’s life was always full of laughter and joy, being with his wife and son. Everyone who knew Blake knew him as an intelligent and conscientious man and will always have fond memories of him. He is survived by his wife, Rachel, and son, Ethan; his parents, Phyllis and Andrew Present; his grandmother, Mary Present; his sisters, Hope Patterson (Eric) and Brooke Blackford (John); and nephew, Luke Patterson and nieces Harper, Lolly, and Piper Blackford. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday, August 2, 2024, at Beth Yeshurun Post Oak Cemetery, 7445 Awty School Lane, Houston, TX 77055. A live stream of the funeral will be available to view at the following link: https://venue.streamspot.com/f8d04b5b In honor of Blake, donations can be made to the HPD 100 Club, a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to the families of fallen police officers and firefighters. (https://the100club.org/survivors-fund/)

Blake Alan Present

June 1, 1965 - July 30, 2024