116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Wanda Lee Blake
Age: 87
City: Marion
Funeral Date
1 p.m., Friday, 1/28, at Teahen Funeral Home, Cedar Rapids
Funeral Home
Teahen Funeral Home
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Wanda Lee Blake
WANDA LEE BLAKE
Marion
Wanda Lee Blake, 87, of Marion, died Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022, at St. Luke's Hospital following a brief illness. Services: 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28, at Teahen Funeral Home. Friends may visit with the family on Thursday, Jan. 27, from 3 to 5:30 p.m., and after noon on Friday before the service.
Due to concerns over the novel coronavirus, it is suggested that family members and friends wear a mask to any funeral event.
Wanda is survived by her daughter, Pamela Straub of Marion; son, Bruce (Delores) Straub of Shellsburg; grandchildren, Jennifer Harris (Hupe) of Fullerton, Calif., Jared Hupe and Jodi Hupe of Marion, and Jessica (Rogelio) Morales of Tiffin; sisters, Freida North, Avis Serovy and Nell Driscoll; great-grandchildren, Sophia, Jazlynn, Dominic, Gavin, Marley, Makayla, Hannah and Denzel; and several nieces, nephews, stepgrandchildren and step-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 35 years, Thomas; parents, Merrivile J. and Edith Lovell Rich; granddaughter, Sheely Straub; and siblings, Ray, Marion, Harry, Ida Bell, LaVonne and Maxine.
Wanda was born on April 13, 1934, in Center Point, daughter of Merrivile J. and Edith Lovell Rich. She graduated from Franklin High School in Cedar Rapids. She married Paul Straub in 1955; they later divorced. On Oct. 23, 1976, Wanda married Thomas Blake at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. She worked as a bookkeeper for the James W. Bell Company, retiring in 1999 and then worked part time in customer service for Von Maur until 2014.
Wanda loved traveling. She was an avid fan of the Chicago Cubs and it brought her so much joy to see them win the World Series in 2016. Wanda, an Iowa Hall of Fame Bowler, was inducted into the Iowa State USBC WBA on April 5, 2008. Most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her family, and was a proud grandmother and great grandmother.
Memorials may be directed to the family.
Online condolences can be left at www.teahenfuneralhome.com.

Daily Newsletters