Dr. Alan Noel Blake
December 10, 1957 – September 21, 2023

Dr. Alan Noel Blake, 65, of Sweet Home, was born in Carrolton, Kentucky to Frank and Lois (Johnson) Blake on December 10, 1957, and died September 21, 2023 in Portland Oregon. After moving frequently as a child, he settled in the Pacific Northwest, marrying Zsuzsa Pinter in 1979 and earning a physics degree from the University of Washington in 1980, followed by an MD from the same university in 1985. After a residency in Boise, Idaho, he moved to Sweet Home in 1988 and, except one year abroad, remained here for the rest of his life. He treated many, perhaps most, Sweet Home residents over the years, and delivered hundreds of babies at the Lebanon hospital.
He and Zsuzsa had four sons, Nathanael (married to Julie), Nicholas (married to Hanna), Isaiah (married to Alexa) and Zachary, who has Down Syndrome and has remained at home. They have had four grandchildren born thus far: Eleanor, Teddy, Beatrice and Leo.
In his spare time he was active in church, read widely, learned Spanish and Hungarian, and became a skilled woodworker.
In 2015 he suffered a severe stroke, which he worked vigorously to recover from, regaining the ability to walk, speak and even passing his medical board exams in 2022. A second stroke in September 2023 initially seemed less severe, but after a few days he quickly began to decline. All of his children were able to see him in the hours before he died, and Zsuzsa was with him when he passed away in the early morning.
As a physician, he saw disease and death routinely. As a Christian, he hopefully looked for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Viewing will be 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm Tuesday September 26th at Sweet Home Funeral Chapel. Funeral service will be 11 am Wednesday September 27th at First Baptist Church in Brownsville. Graveside will follow at 2pm at Gilliland Cemetery. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling arrangements. www.sweethomefuneral.com.