Curtis Blake

Curtis Allen Blake, 38, passed away October 15, 2023 at 9:32 p.m. after battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia for nearly a year.
Curtis was born the oldest of six children in St. George, Utah on January 22, 1985 to John and Michele Blake. He shared approximately a decade of marriage with Karli Antczak with whom he shares two beautiful daughters, Brynlee and Katelyn Blake. Curtis was eventually remarried on July 8, 2023 to the love of his life, Christina Shaw. He was thrilled to become a bonus dad to Christina’s three children, Boston, Phoenix, and Venice Shaw.

Above anything else, Curtis was an incredible dad. He was anxious for the happiness of his children and wanted nothing more than a close and enduring relationship with them. He never missed a musical, cheer event, basketball or volleyball game, or anything else they were involved in. He loved them dearly and thought of them constantly. He always showed up and loved showing his kids how to have fun and enjoy life.

He led by example, living a full and adventurous life exploring the outdoors. He and Christina shared many adventures, canyoneering throughout southern Utah, exploring surrounding states, skydiving over the the ocean in Australia, hiking the Blue Mountains, canoeing under the Hoover Dam, and on and on. There is no water-adjacent cliff Curtis would not dive from. Fueled by Mountain Dew for at least two decades, he loved taking others to exciting destinations and helping them enjoy themselves.
When he was young Curtis was found running cross country and track, singing in two high school choirs, going to concerts, snowboarding, selling LoveSacs at an alarming rate, jumping off the Lehi bridge, and launching from “the bike jump” into a pond in Alpine. He had an adventurous spirit from the very beginning.

Curtis served a two year mission in Panama for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He routinely asked his parents to send small toys so he could give them to local children. The people he served fell in love with him and stayed in contact for the next two decades. Upon his return he relocated to St. George, Utah to attend Dixie State University where he obtained a Bachelor’s of Arts in Business. Curtis called St. George home for the rest of his life.

Curtis loved music and dancing. He found great joy in attending concerts and introducing others to those experiences. He would break out in dance wherever he was because he liked to make people laugh. He made everything fun and spent as many nights as possible playing pickleball until the lights went out, dancing between serves. He got out Spikeball at every opportunity and loved mountain biking, paddleboarding, canyoneering, hiking, and just being outside enjoying life. And he did it all with an infectious smile and an intent to make those around him feel happy.

Everyone fell in love with Curtis and he was the first person there if anyone needed help. He taught most of his siblings how to ride their bikes and countless friends and in-laws how to snowboard. He was always dancing, laughing, and joking and he made friends everywhere. He had an irreverent, sharp, and durable sense of humor through all hardships, even cancer.

It is hard to believe someone who was so alive and so excited to help others enjoy life could be taken by an unforgiving disease and he will be sorely missed. He lives on in the personalities and faces of his daughters and the many shared experiences he left behind. Curtis would like nothing more than for those he loved to, in his words, “adventure for me.”

Curtis is survived by his wife, Christina Shaw; children Brynlee and Katelyn Blake; step-children Boston, Phoenix, and Venice Shaw; parents John and Michele Blake; and siblings Craig Blake, Miranda Gubler, James Blake, Geoffrey Blake, and Jeanette Hastings.