Bill Blake, iconic Merced lawman, dies at 65

Friends say he was a warm, colorful, passionate and fearless leader who mentored generations of Merced County sheriff’s deputies.

Bill Blake, a legend in Merced County law enforcement who served nearly 40 years with the Sheriff’s Office, has died. He was 65.

He died early Sunday at a Modesto hospital, surrounded by friends and family, after battling a brief illness, Sheriff Vern Warnke said.

Blake worked for 38 years for the Merced County sheriff, retiring in 2009 after he won election to the Merced City Council, where he served two terms.

“Bill was larger than life, and his presence and influence meant a lot to so many of us,” Warnke said. “He served the community his whole life, nearly 40 years trying to make good things happen here.”

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Blake’s body was transported back to Merced on Sunday morning in a large procession of sheriff’s vehicles.

He is survived by three adult children, Billy, Tiffany and Kevin; and numerous grandchildren. Kevin Blake followed in his father’s footsteps, both in law enforcement – he is a sergeant in the Sheriff’s Office – and on the City Council, where he was elected in 2013 after his father stepped down.

Grieving family members could not be reached for comment Sunday. In a Merced Sun-Star interview in 2009, Kevin Blake described his father as a “magnificent man.”

“He’s one of those guys who, 100 years from now, people will still be telling stories about,” Kevin Blake said then.

A physically imposing man at well above 6 feet tall, Blake was remembered Sunday as one of the most respected, best-loved figures in Merced County.

Blake was born and raised in Merced and worked on farms as a young man before joining the force. He joined the Sheriff’s Office in 1971 at the age of 21 and was sworn into his duties by another iconic Merced lawman, Sheriff John Latorraca.

“I just thought it would be fast-paced and a lot of fun,” Blake told the Sun-Star in 2009. “I wasn’t out to save the world. I just wanted to do something interesting, something that had an element of excitement. It was a lot of scary fun, but it was a lot of fun. There were times that were absolutely exhilarating – once your knees stopped shaking.”

He eventually served under eight sheriffs and worked in every corner of Merced County while investigating dozens of homicides. He took hundreds, if not thousands, of criminals off the streets.

He was named undersheriff in 2003 by then newly elected Sheriff Mark Pazin. They worked together for nearly three decades.

“It was a good life,” Blake told the Sun-Star in 2009. “You make a lot of friends, and a lot of enemies too. The enemies forget you, but the friends stay forever. That’s the good news about this job.”

His friends says they will indeed never forget him.

Pazin described Blake as an “excellent undersheriff” and “a great friend.”

“He was a tough, no-nonsense guy; never afraid to mix it up with anybody or to tell anybody what he thought,” Pazin recalled Sunday morning.

Pazin said Blake was famous for his lectures to younger deputies and was never afraid to raise his voice while teaching.

“But he always did it in a way that you knew he wanted you to be successful,” Pazin said. “You’d come out of his office feeling a little battered and bruised, but much better for it. When he was my undersheriff, we could disagree on things and he was never shy about letting me know his thoughts; but in the end, he never, ever held a grudge.”

Warnke echoed the sentiment. He met Blake in the late 1970s when Warnke joined the force. Blake was a sergeant in Los Banos at the time.

“He had a great sense of humor – we have hundreds of great stories about old Bill – and a great temper, too,” Warnke said with a laugh. “There was no butt-chewing like a Bill Blake butt-chewing. But, as soon as it was over, he’d slap you on the back and take you to get a coffee.”

Warnke said Blake’s manner of dealing with people was a strong influence on himself and many others.

“He taught me that you could take care of business and move on without any grudge whatsoever,” Warnke said.

Former Sheriff Tom Cavallero credited Blake with helping to modernize the Sheriff’s Office.

“There’s almost nothing we can’t respond to with the right equipment – be it aviation team, SWAT team, dive team, canine unit – and it’s largely because of him,” Cavallero said. “He has a very significant, meaningful legacy in this department, and the community continues to benefit from his work to this day.”

Blake was Cavallero’s first supervisor. They worked together in Los Banos for many years. He said Blake was “without a doubt the single most influential person I’ve known in my whole career.”

“He was an imposing figure in stature and in his personality. Honestly, he was the most generous, kindest man, but not one to be trifled with,” Cavallero said. “Anybody who mistook his kindness for weakness came to regret it.”

District Attorney Larry Morse II said Blake’s passing was a tremendous loss.

“Bill was a born leader, admired and respected by everyone in the law enforcement community,” Morse said Sunday. “The District Attorney’s Office joins with his family and countless friends in mourning his loss. He was an exceptional human being.”

Kevin Blake once summed up his father’s legacy, saying he had a “heart of gold and he’s one of the most giving and caring individuals.”

“He has, over the years, really left a lasting impression on many young lives,” Kevin Blake said. “More than he’ll ever know.”

This story was originally published January 10, 2016 at 10:47 AM with the headline "Bill Blake, iconic Merced lawman, dies at 65."