David E. Blakeman

David E. Blakeman, 79, of Brainerd, passed away on Monday, March 6, 2023. A gathering of family and friends will be held on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, from 4:00 -7:00 p.m. at Nelson-Doran Funeral Home in Brainerd with a Memorial Service at 7:00pm.

David Edward Blakeman was born on February 20, 1944, in Brainerd, to Charles Edward & Alice Rachel (Westerberg) Blakeman. Dave grew up in Brainerd and remained an area resident his entire life. He worked in the auto parts department at Galvin-Kolar Chevrolet in Brainerd, Spajl Chevrolet in Crosby, and then back to Brainerd at Dondelinger Chevrolet. He was also part owner of Thompson Oil.

David married Ardy Jensen on November 5, 1966.

He was an avid auto racing fan. Early on, he raced at North Central Speedway and other tracks in St. Cloud and Princeton. Later, you could find him in his recliner, his remote control in hand and his dog on his lap, watching whatever race was on TV. He also loved riding ATV’s and had a lot of adventures in Arizona, as they wintered there for many years. He was a member of the Central Lakes ATV Club.

Dave will sadly be missed by his wife of 56 years, Ardy Blakeman; siblings, Cathryn (Gary) Peterson of Baxter, MN, Sharon Richter of Hoyt, KS, Charles (Sharon) Blakeman of Nisswa, MN, Curtis (Karen) Blakeman of Payette, ID, and Mary Alice (Doug) Moss of Rapid City, SD; Also sisters and brothers-in-law, Mary Maust, LeAnne (Pat) Caulfield, Pat Clarine, Janet (Bob O’Reily) Jensen, Cindy (Doug) Yeager, and Lisa (Jay) Storm; and many, many nieces and nephews; great and “great-great” nieces and nephews.

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