Arthur Jesse Bleeker

Arthur Jesse “A.J.” “Jake” Bleeker, age 75, of Grants Pass, died Monday, March 19, 2012 at Royale Gardens Health & Rehabilitation Center.

A memorial service will be at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, March 31, 2012 at Hull & Hull Chapel with Pastor Joel Clark officiating. Private interment will be at Granite Hill Cemetery.

He was born February 19, 1937 in Abilene, Texas to Alderd “A.C.” & Bertha Bleeker. He attended both Abilene and Cross Plains High Schools followed by Wayland Bible College all in Texas. In 1954 at age 17 he was licensed to preach the Gospel by Friendship Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas and in May 1960 he received his Ordination from Calvary Baptist in Post, Texas. He met and later married Martha “Martie” Cavender on April 2, 1960 in San Mateo, California while she was stationed as a Radioman Petty Officer at the U.S. Naval Airbase in Moffett Field, California. Together they built and founded two churches in Bullhead City, Arizona in the early 1960s. Over the years, he held a variety of jobs starting from when he was in the 5th grade and he worked selling firewood with his father to pouring plasterware after school, later as a draftsman, a postal worker and many more always enjoying learning new skills and most of all meeting and helping people. In 1971 the family moved to Grants Pass and in 1974 became caretakers of the Holton Ranch on the Illinois River until 1982. He then volunteered as caretaker and guide for the U.S. Forest Service at Store Gulch Ranger Station on the Illinois River until he “retired” in the early 1990s. He enjoyed helping those in his apartment building at Blackberry Knoll. In his last six years at his residence at Royale Gardens he enjoyed fellowshipping with others.

His hobbies included helping others; watching the cooking channel; listening to the radio; working on family genealogy; and reading Louis L’Amour western books.

Survivors include his wife, Martha “Martie” Bleeker; two daughters, Mollie Bleeker and Janie Peterson; and a son-in-law, Daniel Peterson all of Grants Pass, Oregon; four sisters, Melba Payne, Carol Bylander, Alice Williams, and Linda Tooley all of Texas; four brothers, Wayne Bleeker, Kenneth Bleeker and Delbert Bleeker all of Texas and Gerald Bleeker of New Hampshire; and two grandsons, Alan “A.J.” Peterson and Spencer Peterson both of Grants Pass, Oregon.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Barbra Levy and a brother, Melvin Bleeker.