Memorial service for Mr. Dana Earl Blake, 55 of Killeen, TX will be held Saturday, March 5, 2022, 1:00 p.m. at Chisolm's Family Funeral Home in Killeen, TX. A private family burial will be held at a later date.

Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service (12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.) at the funeral home.

Dana Earl Blake, son of Susan and William Blake, was born on February 12, 1966, in Baltimore, Maryland. He departed this life in his sleep on February 11, 2022. Dana attended elementary school in Baltimore, Maryland and Fort Campbell, Kentucky; middle school in Fort Benning, Georgia; and graduated high school at Ellison High School in Killeen, Texas. He also attended Central Texas College and was employed in retail and
the service industries including at O'Phelan's Restaurant during his early years where many great times were had, and relationships developed.

Dana was a very caring individual who was loved by many. Throughout his lifetime, he loved taking care of the family dogs and they loved him. He was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. Dana would strike up a conversation with a total stranger and you would think he knew the stranger for years. He was also very witty and entertaining. He would make people laugh during a simple encounter first by addressing
them by a nickname he had created for them.

He loved all genres of music. However, reggae was his favorite genre which he began listening to in the early 80's after he was introduced to the genre by a friend who shared a cassette tape recording of a Poughkeepsie, New York radio station's reggae show. Dana loved percussion, especially the drums. Since he was a child, he would create elaborate beats by simply banging his fingers and hands on any hard surface. He would later buy a professional drum set which he would occasionally take to the park to have an individual jam session.

Dana had a unique style of fashion. He was an innovator who always wanted to be different. Since he was a youth, he always set fashion trends and did not care if they would be well received or not. It was apparent that his fashion trends were well received simply by observing those who were biting his style. However, people could not keep up because he was always introducing something new. His friends and others would look in amazement when he dared to introduce something new. He loved Converse Chuck Taylors which he owned multiple flavors throughout the years and would wear with anything. He was wearing Chuck Taylors with casual attire such as a blazer and khakis way before it became the norm.

Dana loved to watch old Westerns and 50s and 60s television shows and movies. Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, and The Andy Griffith Show were a few of his favorites. He loved to cook. Steamed crabs and shrimp were among his specialties. He was also an expert on the grill whether it was barbequing or smoking. He would throw anything on the grill, including pig tails.

He leaves to mourn: his parents, Susan and William Blake; brother, Jay K. Blake; uncle and aunt, Gary and Tonya McIntyre; aunt and uncle, Marsha and Charles Owens; nephew, Jaylaan Blake-Thames; niece, Kameron Blake-Thames; "uncle"/cousin, Leonard Jackson; cousins Kim Harper-Merritt, Brittany Brown, Joseph Brown, Chloe McIntyre, Carli McIntyre, and Tori McIntyre; and a host of other relatives
and special friends.