Mayor Sarno stated, “My sympathy, thoughts, prayers, and encouragement go out to his wife Helen, and family and friends. I had the pleasure to get to know Mr. Blake or as he would say, ‘you are my friend call me ‘Pres’’, later on in his life. I remember fondly spending time with him during his 100th birthday celebration, at our Springfield Museums and his ‘Monticello’ property. ‘Pres’ was an old school self-made man with his simple values of hard work and your word is your bond. He had an iron handshake and was passionate about giving back to his community. A sharp, shrewd and visionary businessman who valued and preached the importance of great customer service and product that was family-friendly and affordable. He understood that having a loyal and dedicated workforce was the key to his and Friendly’s success. His philanthropic giving was second-to-none. He generously donated millions and millions of dollars towards the betterment of our Springfield community and beyond. Thank you ‘Pres’. You will be missed but your legacy of a life well-lived will live on. I am sure there will be a hamburger set-up, milkshake, and a sundae waiting for you up in heaven.”
Photo credit: Mark M. Murray / The Republican
