Denise Jepsen Blake
June 1, 1960 – February 19, 2017
Denise Jepsen Blake died in St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tucson on Sunday, February 19, 2017 at the age of 56.
She is survived by son Ryan Mitchell Blake, the light of her life; her parents James and Kathy Jepsen; her sister Patricia Jepsen-Glab; brothers Paul and Raymond Jepsen; as well as her nieces and nephews.
Denise was born in Kankakee, IL on June 1, 1960. She graduated from Western Illinois University and settled in Santa Cruz Valley. Denise taught in both the Nogales and Rio Rico School Districts, continued her education earning her Masters in Bilingual Education and, later, a Masters in Educational Leadership.
Denise moved to Patagonia, AZ, in 2010 where she accepted the principal’s position at Patagonia Public Schools. Throughout her time in Patagonia, Denise succeeded in improving both the quality of education that the students received and the facilities in which they received that education. Through her hard work and dedication she was promoted to superintendent of the two Patagonia School Districts. Her love, however, was with her students and faculty, so she continued as superintendent/principal for five years until her illness forced her into early retirement.
Denise’s accomplishments will live on through the positive impact she has had on so many lives. Her dedication will live on through her students, her family, and the communities in which she has lived and worked. “…And that teacher left her wisdom, in the minds of lots of children and did her best to give them all a better start…”
Her first love will forever be horses. Gunther, Shadow and Tucker, her small herd, always brought her joy. She loved caring for them and learning everything about training and riding. Denise was in the process of buying a horse ranch near Patagonia when she was forced by her untimely illness to abandon her dream of being a western ranch woman.
A memorial service was held in her honor at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Patagonia on February 24, 2017. In lieu of flowers, you may send donations in Denise’s name to Equine Voices Horse Rescue and Sanctuary in Amado, AZ.