Blake Exposito Memorial

This campaign has concluded. Thank you to all who generously supported project.

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Joseph Blake Exposito passed away on October 29, 2016. Blake was a student at the University of Kansas, studying to get a bachelor’s degree in Clinical Lab Science. He was a son, brother, stepbrother, grandson, cousin, friend, and classmate to so many.

We all have special memories of Blake and fondly remember the ways in which he touched our lives. Below are a few descriptions of Blake from the obituary written by his brother, Broc. (You may click here to read the full obituary.)

“When Blake discovered his passion for nature and science, he excelled at school, volunteered his time, blood, and bone marrow, and never once skipped a day of work – even if he often couldn’t be bothered to clean his own room.”

“To say that Blake marched to the beat of his own drum is an understatement. The first things you might notice about him were his wrinkled Hawaiian shirts, comically-oversized ‘Minions’ phone case, or his 1987 Grand Marquis that he loved to parade around town. But what you’d remember the longest after seeing him – and it could be most easily spotted perhaps when he didn’t think anyone was looking – was his radiant smile.”

“It can be hard to define Blake because his unyielding curiosity about the world led him to pick up new hobbies on a daily basis. Whether it was adding to his Guinness-worthy LEGO collection, building his own computer from scratch, or planting all types of vegetables (that he admittedly was better at planting than remembering to water), Blake loved anything that he could do with his hands.”

As Broc said in Blake’s obituary, the world is dimmer without Blake in it only because he made it so much brighter to begin with. It is with the hope of making the world a little brighter that we are raising money to establish a memorial space for Blake on the University of Kansas Medical Center campus.

Given Blake’s love of nature and concern about the environment, we are partnering with the Facilities Management Department to create a walk-thru pollination garden at the corner of Olathe and Rainbow Boulevards in Kansas City. As one of the most visible parts of campus, this pollination garden would provide a welcoming entrance to the campus where people can enjoy nature. Among the seating offered in the garden, one bench would bear a plaque with Blake’s name and some of the flower beds would include signage to indicate that they were given in Blake’s memory.

We hope that you will join us today in remembering Blake by making a gift of any size.