Richard E. Blakley, proud and loving father of Palmer Jane (Gholamali Afshang), Richard Ewen and Allison Carol. Born in Chicago in 1924, Richard Blakley was an alumnus of Englewood High School and the University of Chicago (A.B., 1948). A Veteran of United States Army, who served his country as a medic during WWII, Mr. Blakley was married for 58 years to his high school sweetheart, the late Harriet Levy Blakley, who preceded him in death. Mr. Blakley’s career spanned a wide range of public and private sector management roles. He worked as a risk manager at Liberty Mutual Insurance, Helene Curtis and the Chicago Tribune. During the administration of Governor Otto Kerner, Mr. Blakley served with distinction as Managing Director and Secretary of the Illinois State Housing Authority. Later, he served as Executive Director of the Chicago Dwellings Association and then worked in private sector real estate management before returning to state government in the 1970s as Executive Director of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. While serving at the ISTHA, Mr. Blakley was named a lifetime honorary member of IBT Local 726. An afficianado of avant garde design, Mr. Blakley was the first, best and only customer of the American Chair Company. Mr. Blakley was a founding member of the Democratic Federation of Illinois (which later became the Independent Voters of Illinois). From 1968 until 1971, Mr. Blakley served on the Board of Directors of the Henry Hart Jewish Community Center. In the 1970s Mr. Blakley also served as a director of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association. Retired since the early 1980s, Mr. Blakley continued to give generously of his management acumen in every setting, including restaurants, hospitals, retirement homes, and nursing homes. Mr. Blakley was the youngest, and last surviving, of nine children, a wonderful father, a talented artist and a great friend to animals, especially the family’s beloved Irish Setter, Parker, Thane of Brennan, C.D. To train Parker, Mr. Blakley employed the same techniques that served him so well when, at the behest of the King, he taught the elephants of Siam to stand on their hind legs and sing the Star Spangled Banner, or so he told us. Visitation Tuesday, February 3, 2004, from 2:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at Kelley & Spalding, 1787 Deerfield Road, Highland Park, IL. Funeral service Wednesday, February 4, 2004, at 11 a.m. at Kelley & Spalding, with Interment immediately following in Fairmount-Willow Hills Memorial Park, 9100 South Archer Avenue, Willow Springs, IL. Shiva information available from Kelley & Spalding, 847-831-4260 www.kelleyspaldingfuneralhome.com. In memoriam, contributions may be made to Orphans of the Storm or to the American Lung Association.
