Blake Allen Treadwell

Mr. Blake Allen Treadwell, 59, of Blackshear, passed away Wednesday morning, July 1, 2020.

Born in Ames, Iowa on August 3, 1960 to Major Millard Leon Treadwell, Jr. and Betty Ann (Johnson), he lived in both there and Heidelberg, Germany, as a result of his father’s career in the Army Corps of Engineers. After his father’s death in the Vietnam War, Blake and his family settled back in Blackshear, where he lived most of his life. As a young boy, he worked in tobacco warehouses selling boiled peanuts to all of the buyers that had come to town, and in 1978 he graduated from Blackshear High School.

He attended Valdosta State University and ultimately graduated from Gupton Jones Mortuary College in 1990, receiving his Funeral Director and Embalmer degree. He worked in the family business, Pearson-Treadwell Funeral Home, for several years.  Mr. Treadwell was a former member of the Blackshear Rotary Club and the Pierce County Library Board, and a long-time current member of the Blackshear First United Methodist Church. 

Blake met the love of his life, Dee Maron Treadwell, in 1982. Early in their relationship, his ability to play cards and pool for hours nearly drove Dee crazy, but they were inseparable. They were married for 35 years and loved each other dearly.

His second loves were his children, Erica, Alex, and Lance. Although the kids often joked that if asked, he would prioritize them by means other than birth order. He was a proud father, attending their sporting events, academic award ceremonies and graduations, and art gallery shows. However, he drew the line with beauty pageants when possible, leaving those duties to Dee, and congratulated the girls at home afterwards.

To say Mr. Treadwell was a voracious reader is an understatement. If you saw him without a book, it was safe to assume he had simply left it in his truck for the moment. Being well-read comes with its advantages, and if you watched Jeopardy with him, then you did so at your own peril. A purist at heart, and likely stemming from his previous tenure on the Pierce County Library Board, Blake eschewed his Kindle in favor of hardcopies.

While not outwardly political in his lifetime, one of his biggest disappointments in recent years was Donald Trump’s Presidency. Over calls with his daughters, he often lamented the current state of affairs in the world and the decline in decorum of these beloved states. He was looking forward to voting for Joe Biden in November.

Although he might have been born in the North, he was a lifelong fan of Southern Rock. He particularly loved Creedence Clearwater Revival, Doobie Brothers, The Allman Brothers, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynard, The Marshall Tucker Band, and Bob Seger. Not to be considered a musical neophyte, he also enjoyed Bob Dylan, Queen, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, and The Rolling Stones, among many others.

He was an avid hunter and fisher nearly all his life, which went hand-in-hand with his musical interests. Blake was a member of several hunting clubs over the years and was a skilled shot and bowman. He enjoyed being on the water, whether a river, lake, or the ocean. He did not discriminate based on the salinity of the water itself.

Blake was loved by his family and friends and will be missed greatly by all.

He was preceded in death by his father, Major Millard Leon Treadwell, Jr., and his mother, Betty Ann Johnson Treadwell Pearson.  As well as his step-father, Bernard S. Pearson; his father-in-law, Don Maron; his step-father-in-law, Edward Batten, and step-father-in-law, William “Bill” Clark.

Blake is survived by his wife of 35 years, Dee Maron Treadwell of Blackshear; two daughters, Erica Treadwell (Andy Musick), and Alex Treadwell both of Atlanta; his son, Lance Treadwell of Statesboro; a brother and sister-in-law, Marc & Wimberly Treadwell of Forsyth; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Cynthia & George Oberschlake of Perry, FL and Sharon & Mark Godwin of Blackshear; mother-in-law, Gwen Clark of Blackshear; a mother and step-father-in-law, Martha & Stan Weber of Wedowee, AL; sister-in-law & brother-in-law, Alicia & Bob Watkins of Athens; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Ron & Lisa Batten of Blackshear; brother-in-law, Shannon Batten of Blackshear; and many nieces, nephews, and other loved ones. 

The family will have a private memorial service on Wednesday, July 8 at First United Methodist Church of Blackshear. Memorialization will be by cremation.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for memorials to be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at www.jdrf.org.

Sympathy may be expressed by signing the online register at www.pearsondial.com.

Pearson-Dial Funeral Home of Blackshear overseeing arrangements.

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