Reverend Reynard N. Blake, Jr. (Lansing)

Reverend Reynard N. Blake, Jr., after years of increasingly declining health, died on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at the age of 62 years old. He was wonderfully comfortable and at peace. He can now rest and be free from the suffering and pain he endured for so long. Reynard told us that he was tired and that he was ready to go, and that he wanted to see his father, Reynard Sr., and his daughter, Cameron.

He was born Sunday, November 5, 1961, in Bronx, New York to Nietta Tyson Blake and Reynard N. Blake, Sr. He attended primary and junior high schools in New York, but he graduated from Charleston High School in Charleston, South Carolina.

He would often tell stories of being whisked off to visit his grandparents in Charleston by his dad or his Aunt Edith. He could come home from school on a Friday and his dad would ask, “Are you ready to go?” or he would come home and would see his Aunt Edith’s car and he knew they were heading on a road trip. While in Charleston, he played first trumpet with the Burke High School Band. He would revel in stories about band practices and performances. His love of trumpet was a gift from his father. Nietta and Reynard Sr. exposed him to all kinds of music, but his first love was jazz. He never understood when someone said, “I don’t like jazz.” How could they not!? He played with a group of friends in a band named Black Mist. His Black Mist stories had long pauses because he was laughing so hard.

After graduating high school in 1979, Reynard attended Knoxville College in Knoxville, Tennessee before transferring to the University of Tennessee also in Knoxville and graduating from the College of Charleston in 1983 with a B.S. in English. Reynard was a self-described “politics junkie” and worked for local and national election campaigns, notably for the Rev. Jessie Jackson presidential campaign.

Reynard was enrolled in a master’s degree program in Public Administration at the College of Charleston, when he met his future wife, Karen. They married and moved to Michigan in 1990 to attend graduate school at Michigan State University. Reynard completed his master’s degree in community and economic development. He was actively involved in community development and organizing in the Lansing area, working as the Director and Executive Director of local non-profit organizations. Reynard would go on to become an ordained minister. For him, his ministry was based on communicating and critiquing current events and their impact on people’s lives, especially the Black community.

Reynard was an avid reader, a prolific writer who was always jotting down notes for his next poem or commentary. He was also a fervent New York Jets fan. He became a father with the birth of his daughter Cameron, who preceded him in death. He would glow when he would speak of her and the unexpected kisses she would give him.

He leaves to cherish his memory: his wife, Karen; mother, Nietta; 2 brothers, Edward Sr. (Theresa) and Anthony; niece, Camille; nephews, Edward II, Michael, Jordan, Aaron, and Jalen; cousins, Tanisha, Sybil, Alfonso; godson, Erick Lemon; many other extended family and friends including John Williams, Rex LaMore, John Melcher, and Ms. Gloveto Chapman.

He was also preceded in death by his grandparents, Alma, Isaac, and Arthurene; aunts, Emily (Edith), Sylvia, and Doris; uncles, Jack, Alphonso, and Isaac aka “Foster.”

Our prayer is that he is now with them and that he can rest in peace.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations in honor of Reverend Reynard N. Blake, Jr., be made to the Muscular Dystrophy Association at mda.org.