George N Blakely

George Blakely, age 86, of Cave Junction, died January 9, 2024 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center in Grants Pass.

George was born November 21, 1937 in Springfield, Massachusetts.  George graduated from Mineral County High School in Hawthorne, Nevada in 1955 where he met his future wife Connie and they began their relationship. 

George and Connie enjoyed a memorable life together since being married in Hawthorne in June 1957.   Over the years they lived in in Del Paso Heights, California, Malad City, Idaho, Tremonton, Utah, Reno, Nevada, Huntington Beach, California and Hawthorne, Nevada all while George was employed as a draftsman and general engineer and Connie was the homemaker. In October 1971, Connie and George made a change to showcase Connie’s artistic and creative talents for what was a household ceramics hobby to production and operation of a pottery shop in Calico Ghost Town, California.  They raised their family, operated the pottery shop including having Janet Jones as a business partner for more than 15 years, and enjoyed sharing life with the Jones’ and the Posey’s while living in Calico, Lenwood, California, and Yermo, California before retiring from a 30-year pottery shop business in Mojave Desert, California to retire in Cave Junction, Oregon in winter of 2001. 

George was active in the Cave Junction community through the Senior Center and an ardent supporter of the Illinois Valley Community Library. George and Connie continued to make and sell handcrafted art items at the Oregon Caves National Monument and various shows and craft fairs throughout southwest Oregon.

George was preceded in death by his wife and partner Connie who died three months ago; father Chester; mother Helen; brothers Fred, Allen, and Carl; and sisters Carol and Patricia.

Survivors include children Craig (Bobbie) of Cave Junction; Jeffery (Lorin) of Scottsdale, Arizona, Kevin (Colette) of Salem, Oregon, Brian (Barbara) of Barstow, California and Christian Damek of Sonora, California; sister Signe Sims of Las Vegas, Nevada; grandchildren Kyser, Teale, Joseph, Parker, Meagan, Breanna, Nick and Caitlin; great-grandchildren Carter, Kaylee, Cash, Alora and Denny; and extended family through life Janet and Jim Jones – Jennifer (Eric), Jessica (Clint) with Annabelle, Emma, Hayden, and Hadley; and Ruth Posey – Robert (Amy), Mike (Bernice) and Craig (Alyssa) with Jesse, Mikayla, and Monique.

In lieu of flowers or donations, please spend time with your family. 

There will be no services at this time.

Please share a memory of George on his Guestbook.