William Blayke Humphrey

William Blayke Humphrey, 49, of Indianapolis, passed away unexpectedly on October 19, 2023. He was born on August 12, 1974, in Frankfurt, Germany to the late Elbert and Patricia (McCord) Humphrey.

Blayke served his country in the U.S. Army in the Intelligence branch. He had many careers in his life including a circus sideshow barker, video store manager, facility operations director, and chef at a variety of restaurants, but most recently he was the Director of Credentialing at the Indiana BMV and founder of a tabletop gaming company, IndyPendant Games. Blayke was a proud 32nd-degree Master Mason, Past Master of Norman Masonic Lodge No. 38, and member of the Scottish Rite Temple.

Blayke moved around a lot during his childhood with his father serving in the Army and later in life with his own service. He lived in Germany, Montana, Utah, Kansas, Virginia, Belgium, California, Hawaii, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, New York, Illinois, and finally Indiana. Blayke graduated from Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma in 1992. He joined the Army that year and during his 6 year enlistment he trained at the Defense Language Institute where he went on to serve as an Arabic translator. Blayke attended OU where he studied Drama and International Policy.

In 2002, after moving to Lubbock, TX, he met his wife Catherine (Phillips) Humphrey.

Blayke loved to fill a room with his booming and contagious laughter, hold court at a Dungeons and Dragons table, use every utensil and bowl in the making of an extravagant meal, enjoy a good scotch, make a new playlist for every occasion, search obsessively for the perfect gift, wake before dawn to start a fire for the perfect brisket, and entertain any willing audience with his tales of life and adventure. He had a love of the absurd, a great sarcastic wit, and was a master of the dad joke. He was a fiercely loyal and supportive friend and ally to everyone he met. But most of all, he loved his family; nothing brought greater delight than watching Elliot and Amelia explore the world and sharing infinite inside jokes with them. His eyes lit up when his wife walked into the room and you could see how proud he was to have her as his co-conspirator and partner.

He is preceded in death by his parents, mentioned above, Elbert and Pat Humphrey.

Blayke is survived by his wife of 16 years, Catherine Humphrey; children, Elliot (11) and Amelia (7); sister, Brooke Ryan and her partner Barry Anglin of Oklahoma City; mother and father-in-law, Tom and Betty Phillips of Dripping Springs, TX; sisters-in-law, Jennifer Henderson, Allison Connorton and husband Matt; nieces and nephews, Ciaran Ryan, Garrett and Ashley Connorton and Reid Henderson; aunt, Gay Wells Humphrey; cousins, Marran Ogilvie, Rebecca Humphrey Hendrix, Will Humphrey, and many second and third cousins, extended family, and many many friends.

A celebration of Blayke’s life will be held at the Murat Shriners Center in the Oasis Lounge on Saturday, November 11th from 1 PM to 4 PM. In keeping with Blayke’s effervescent spirit please wear something that would make him or his family smile. Address: 510 N. New Jersey St. Indianapolis, IN 46204.

An additional gathering will be held in Norman, Oklahoma at a future date.

Cremation Arrangements provided by Legacy Cremation & Funeral Services – Lawrence.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Planned Parenthood in his name or in the name of a politician he disliked.