Vada Blakesley
Vada June Blakesley died Dec. 8, 2019. She was born April 16, 1936, to Roy and Orinda (Weiss) Hedges in Imperial, Chase County, Nebraska. She was one of nine children.
Vada married Clarence E. Blakesley on Dec. 15, 1951, in Holyoke. They had three children, five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Their daughter Marcy Joan married Ronald Fernandez, and they had three children, Daniel Patrick Fernandez, Christina Renee (and Albert) Santiago and James Samuel (and Diego) Fernandez. Marcy died in 2010.
Their daughter Teresa Kaye married Gary W. Hoffman, and they had two children, Brandon Scott (and Lindsey) and Heather Renee (and Charlie) Cordova.
Their son Kem Allen Blakesley died as an infant in 1957.
Vada’s great-grandchildren include Kalob (and Valerie) and son Ean; Nicholas, Zachery, Shelby and Joseph; and Albert III (and Diego), Christopher (and Tatdao), Bonnie, Hugh, Nora, Charlotte and Cora.
Clarence and Vada moved to Denver in 1959. While living in Denver, she became known as Aunt Vada to many. They provided care to over 120 foster children through Lutheran Social Services. Most of them were infants waiting to be placed with their permanent families. She also cared for a few adult children with special needs.
In 1976 they moved back to Holyoke where she began Aunt Vada’s Daycare and loved dozens of children over the next 30 years.
Vada dearly loved her grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and her day care children. Children made her life complete. Even Alzheimer’s couldn’t rob her connection with children. Her face would light up when she heard or saw little ones.
Vada loved crafts — making dolls and flower arrangements and sharing her love of crafts with her grandchildren and day care children. She enjoyed cooking. She was known for her kraut burgers and jambalaya. She would cook for family gatherings and large groups at First Baptist Church, where they were members for many years.
Holidays were enjoyed by Vada. At Halloween she would dress as a witch and loved to go trick-or-treating with everyone. With her being 4 feet, 10 inches tall, they would fill her bag along with the rest of the kids and then she would confess who she was. She made an Easter bunny costume and would dress up in it and go with the kids to the nursing home and pass out goodies.
Having five prankster brothers prepared her for married life to a fun-loving family of Blakesley boys. Vada could hold her own and quietly get even. The family history tells stories of yellow frosting-filled deviled eggs for a party on April Fools’ Day and flannel-stuffed pancakes that couldn’t be cut, made especially for her brother-in-law, Bob.
She volunteered for PTA and church youth parties. She would sew a dress or a costume with a day’s notice to be worn for a church or school function.
Her family wants to remember her for what she loved: blue skies with fluffy clouds, windmill blades turning in the wind, the smell of fresh soil and rain-soaked fields, holding a child’s hand, watching children play and especially the mealtime prayer — “God is good, God is great.”
Vada was preceded in death by her beloved daughter, Marcy; infant son, Kem; parents, Roy and Orinda Hedges; brothers, Marvin (and Lavern, Bebe and Edna), William (and Mary Jo) , Elza “Doc” (and Alice) and infant Gene; and sisters, Genevieve Rowley (and Max), Hazel Wagner (and Fred) and Doris Yonker (and Walt).
She is survived by her husband, Clarence; son-in-law, Ronald Fernandez; daughter, Teresa and husband Gary Hoffman; brothers, Gail and wife Gaynell Hedges and Dick and wife Waydean Hedges; sister-in-law, Ruby Roll; her grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and numerous other relatives and friends.
The memorial service was held on Dec. 12 at First Baptist Church in Holyoke, with Pastor Jeremiah Krieger officiating. There will be a private family inurnment at the Holyoke Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to First Baptist Church.
Baucke Funeral Home directed the service.