Tim Blakeman: A Life of Dedication and Accomplishment

Timothy Craig Blakeman left us far too soon on February 5, 2025 after a hard-fought battle with Parkinson’s with Dementia. With the support of many of his family and friends, he lived this last season of his life with purpose, dignity and respect. Though his last season saw many obstacles and difficult-to-navigate changes, one thing has always remained constant: Tim was a dedicated husband, father, sibling, co-worker and friend. Tim was born January 11th, 1955 in Gillette, Wyoming. He was the sixth child born to Donna Roberta Thomas Blakeman and Richard “Dick” David Blakeman (both deceased). Tim began his life growing up in the little town of Moorcroft, in the NE corner of Wyoming. He attended 12 years of school, graduating in 1973. Though his K-12 was just across the street from his childhood home, he loved to drive his “grabber green” mustang to school regularly. His graduating class was 29 strong, 28 of which were related by blood or marriage. Tim was a champion wrestler. In his High School wrestling career, he was a 2-time State High School Wrestling Champion and graduated with 42 consecutive wrestling wins. Tim’s father was a hunting guide and Tim enjoyed hunting as well, especially antelope on his brother-in-law Skip Waters’ ranch. He enjoyed spending time on the ranch doing all kinds of ranch work from irrigating, haying, feeding livestock, mending fence, and whatever else needed to be done. After graduating from high school, Tim attended Black Hills State College in Spearfish, South Dakota, graduating in 1977 with a BS in Business. He was also the president at the Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity. Tim had an extremely successful career in Human Resources within the high-tech industry, including 18 years at Hewlett-Packard where he managed complex sales incentives as the world-wide compensation Project Manager. Tim was an initial co-founder of the Colorado Compensation Association, which is still a thriving organization today. It wasn’t only his expert technical competence that made his career exceptional, but his creativity, ingenuity and approachable professionalism. One comment that is heard frequently when referring to Tim is ‘he always found the time.’ Anyone who ever worked with Tim will tell you he was the best boss, colleague and mentor, referring to him as a lovely soul, kind, funny, and positively radiant. Of all his accomplishments, this is what Tim was most proud of. Tim enjoyed running, working-out (2 hours a day, 6 days a week), music (especially Moody Blues), and bike-riding. One of Tim’s favorite athletic accomplishments at the age of 53, along with his wife Cathy and a few friends, was when he hiked the 26-mile rim-to-rim of the Grand Canyon, and then Paria Canyon the following year. He ran the Bolder Boulder on several occasions, loved to run the Pikes Peak Ascent, and took 3rd place in his age group in his first ever Sprint Marathon at the age of 55. He was a season-ticket holder for Rockies baseball, CSU basketball and volleyball, and he loved the Raiders. On Friday nights, you could always find Tim at the Rio Grande Restaurant, and until recent years, Tim cherished attending the annual Jubilee in Moorcroft, where he could reconnect with all his extended family and friends. Tim is survived by his wife Cathy (just celebrated their 29th anniversary on January 27th); children Tabitha Berge (Alan), Kari Brown (Colt), Stacy O’Neill, Christopher Blakeman, and Jeanette Dywan (Chet); 7 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren, and many chosen family members and friends. Tim’s siblings are Vanna, Douglas (deceased), Kenneth (deceased), Raylene, Jane, Richard “LeRoy” and Rena. His paternal grandparents were Fred Robert Blakeman and Francis Sophira Roberts (both deceased). His maternal grandparents were Raymond Thomas and Lucille Moffitt (both deceased). Tim is well-known for being a generous soul, and his work on this earth is still not done. Tim wanted to donate his body to science, specifically Parkinsons research, and with the help of Brain Support Network (BSN) and Science Care, Tim’s wishes are being exceeded, and his contributions to this world will continue for many years to come. BSN was able to partner with The Mayo Clinic in Florida to donate his brain, and Science Care will utilize Tim for up to 40 different research projects. His family is beyond proud of him, and we continue to look up to him as an example of how to leave the world a better place than how you entered it. A Celebration of Life will take place at the Drake Centre on March 22nd, 2025 at 4:00pm. In lieu of flowers, Tim’s family asks that you make a donation to one (or some) of the following organizations: Michael J. Fox Parkinson Foundation Parkinson’s Foundation Brain Support Network If you are interested in contributing your remains to science, we encourage you to look into Brain Support Network (they accept MANY neurodegenerative brains and healthy brains, too!). There is a desperate need for brain tissue for research purposes, and simply donating a body to science does not always guarantee the brain will be utilized. BSN can recommend many organizations that will accept the body for research as well, and we chose Science Care for their excellent reputation. Please plan to attend his Celebration of Life, on March 22, 2025 where materials on all of these organizations will be available for you to look at and take home if you choose.