Obituary

Darlene H. Blake, 79, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, lost her battle with severe dementia and diabetes on December 3, 2025.

Darlene was born on July 28, 1946, in Petersburg, Virginia. Her parents were Robert Lee Harrup and Helen Elizabeth Jackson Harrup, both of Petersburg, Virginia. Her official birth certificate name was listed as Helen Darlene Harrup; however, she was known to all as Darlene Harrup until she married. She was the beloved granddaughter of George Washington Jackson and Ruth Ethel Burnett Jackson of Petersburg, Virginia, as well as Edgar Floyd Harrup and Mary Ann Ferguson Harrup of Dendron, Virginia.

Darlene was married to Lawrence Elliott “Lonny” Blake, an attorney, for 22 years, 1968 – 1990. Darlene and Lonny were the parents of two sons, Lawrence Elliott Blake II, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Whitley Burnett Blake of Chesterfield, Virginia. They were grandparents of Sophie Elizabeth Blake and Jackson Whitley Blake from Whitley Burnett Blake.

During her youth through her mid-forties, Darlene was an accomplished vocal soloist and performed in a volunteer capacity as a soloist for television productions, church and choral societies’ performance groups, and by special invitation for civic, patriotic, and social group gatherings.

Darlene received both a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. She became a teacher in the public school system of Petersburg, Virginia, for six years, and was an administrator at John Tyler Community College in Chester, Virginia. She worked for twenty-three years in a variety of administrative positions as a state-level administrator of career and technical education and as assistant to the Director of the Virginia Council on Vocational Education, a governor-appointed monitoring board for career and technical education in the schools and colleges of Virginia.

Darlene was a founding member of the National Tech Prep Network, which originated in Texas and spread nationwide as a working group for the initiative Tech Prep, authorized and funded by federal legislation under the Carl D. Perkins Act. She was well known nationally as a respected member of Tech Prep leadership community. After Darlene retired from the state of Virginia in 2004, she worked in various consulting capacities for educational institutions in Virginia.

In 2006, she engaged in a contract with the Iowa-based Kuder Institute as a field trainer in Internet-based career counseling. She also attained the title of Global Career Counseling Coordinator. After completion of that contract, Darlene lived in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, for five years. She returned to Virginia, where she was a caregiver for her mother for the last 18 months of her mother’s life.

In 2011, Darlene moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and resided there until her death. She was an avid swimmer and water walking exercise practitioner. She loved spending time at her community’s pool, swimming, and socializing with friends. She also enjoyed many Caribbean cruises and trips to San Diego. As her health declined in recent years, her eldest son, Lawrence Elliott Blake II, became her primary caregiver. She was loved by so many and will be missed immensely.

Donations in her memory can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in lieu of flowers. Sympathy cards for the family can be mailed to her eldest son, Lawrence Elliott Blake II, at 3333 NE 34th Street, Apt 801, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308.

A memorial service for Darlene will be held at Morrissett Funeral and Cremation Service, 6500 Iron Bridge Rd, N. Chesterfield, VA 23234, on December 26, 2025, at 1:00 PM.