Greensburg Record Herald, on-line obits: 4 Nov 2009
Mary Helen Robertson Blakeman was born Jan. 13, 1923 to Dillard and Sarah Thompson Robertson of the Little Barren community in Green County. The second of four children, she represented Green County and the state of Kentucky at the National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C., at the age of twelve, and later went on to become the Valedictorian of the 1940 graduating class of Bowling Green High School. After high school, she returned to Green County and began teaching at the Exie one-room schoolhouse while she completed her college education at Western Kentucky Teacher’s College. She united in marriage to Bernard Wilson Blakeman, Sr. on Jan. 9, 1943, and together they raised two sons in the Exie community, Bernard Wilson Blakeman, Jr. and Barry Neill Blakeman. Mrs. Blakeman retired in 1979 after teaching for 30 years in the Green County School System. For many years, she continued as a private math and algebra tutor. She also gave private piano lessons, as well as serving several local congregations as church pianist. She went home to be with Jesus on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009. She was 86 years, 9 months, and 14 days of age. She made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ at the age of 12 and served her church faithfully throughout her life in many capacities, including teaching Sunday School, first at Greasy Creek Baptist Church, then at South Greensburg Baptist Church, and finally at Greensburg Church of the Nazarene. She was preceded in death by her brother, Bromley Robertson, in 1922; her father, Dillard Robertson, in 1928; her sister, Jewell Robertson, in 1933; her mother, Sarah Thompson Robertson, in 1936; and her brother Clarke Robertson in 2001. Her husband, Bernard Blakeman, Sr., also preceded her in death on April 16, 1983. The Christian heritage that they began lives on in the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren that survive, two sons and daughters in law, Bernard Wilson, Jr. and Karen Blakeman, of Bowling Green and Barry and Cheryl Blakeman of Greensburg; four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren also survive, Jason Blakeman and his wife Beth of Bowling Green and their children, Wilson, Ashton, Jaren and Anne; Sarah Blakeman Lagermann and her husband Steve also of Bowling Green, and their son John Thomas; Amy Blakeman Durham and her husband Kevin of Green County, and their sons Kelly, Eli and Reece; and Lee Blakeman and his wife Amanda of Bowling Green. Mrs. Blakeman is also survived by two sisters in law, Fanny Blakeman of Greensburg, and Margaret Robertson of Jacksonville, Fl. Visitation for Mary Helen Robertson Blakeman was held Thursday, Oct. 29, at 2:30 p.m. at Cowherd and Parrott Funeral Home in Greensburg. A service celebrating her life and her journey home was held at Greasy Creek Baptist Church on Oct. 30, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. with burial in the Greasy Creek Cemetery. Rev. Jared Henry and Rev. Gilbert Larimore will be officiating. Active pallbearers were Jason Blakeman, Lee Blakeman, Kevin Durham, Steve Lagermann, Denny Robertson, Sammy Lobb and Bryan Kessler. Expressions of sympathy can be made to Kentucky Baptist Children’s Home or Oneida Baptist Institute, which can be made at the funeral home.