Esther Joanne Weaver Blake
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Esther Joanne Weaver Blake, of Fort Collins, Colorado, passed peacefully into the presence of her Savior, Jesus Christ, in her home in Fort Collins, Colorado, surrounded by her family and her loyal dog Milly, on July 1, 2022, at the age of 88. Joanne was born in Paola, Kansas on July 4, 1934. The family moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming where Joanne graduated from Cheyenne High School in 1952. She was employed by Cheyenne Light and Power Company, and soon after met her husband of sixty-nine years, Francis Blake, of Hereford, Colorado. They were married in Cheyenne on September 6, 1953, and moved to the family ranch in Hereford, Colorado, where they had a large cattle and wheat ranch. They raised their children, Cynthia and Linda and enjoyed many happy years of ranch life. As a rancher's wife, Joanne was a tireless worker and hospitable host to any guests and/or ranch workers, often preparing amazing home-made meals for many people. Joanne loved decorating, gardening, sewing, and cooking and kept an immaculate home and a beautiful yard. Gardening was a passion of hers and she loved spending time outdoors tending to her beautiful flowers and an abundant vegetable garden. She was also a seamstress with skills that would challenge any professional, making many beautiful clothes for her children and grandchildren, tirelessly devoting her time and effort. She loved reading and music and pursued genres that were classical, lofty, and eloquent, amassing a large collection of books and music. Joanne supported her children in 4-H, sports, music lessons, and all the events they participated in, often taking them to fairs and other activities. Joanne was very social and was especially enamored by her grandchildren and cherished the time she was able to spend with them, and showered them with cards, packages, and telephone calls when distance was an obstacle. Professing faith in Christ during her teenage years, Joanne's faith was a paramount tenet in her life, resulting in her home going as being "absent from the body, but present with the Lord". Her several well-worn Bibles were marked up profusely with favorite verses underlined. Joanne and Francis moved to Fort Collins in 1990 where she resided for the remainder of her life. She was a member of the Hereford Community Church in Hereford and subsequently Front Range Baptist Church in Fort Collins. Joanne is survived by her husband, Francis; children Cynthia (Dale) Tiller of Lee's Summit, MO, Linda (Jamie) Collins of Goose Creek, SC; grandchildren, Angela (Brian) Burleigh of Orlando, FL, Joanna (Andrew) Lewis of Jacksonville, FL, Joshua (Melissa) Nelson of Summerville, SC; Mark Simmons, Jr., of Kansas City, MO, Matthew (Karla) Simmons of Queen City, Texas, and Caleb (Jennifer) Nelson of North Charleston, SC; nine great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. Joanne was preceded in death by her parents, Myrtle Shugren and Alvin Weaver and her brother Kenneth Weaver. A public graveside service will be held on August 19, 2022 at 11:00 AM at Linn Grove Cemetery, 1700 Cedar Avenue, Greeley, Colorado 80631, with a reception following at Adamson Life Celebration at 2000 47th Avenue, Greeley, Colorado. Food will be provided. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made in Joanne's name to the Front Range Baptist Church, 625 E. Harmony Road, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525.