He had two brothers (Curtis Blake and Hollis, who died at the age of two) and one sister (Betsy Melvin).
[1] Blake was raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, and attended Northfield Mount Hermon School.
[2] However, he dropped out after one year and moved back to Springfield in order to start Friendly's with his brother Curtis.
[1] Blake and Curtis founded the Friendly's national restaurant chain in the summer of 1935, during the Great Depression.
[3][6] Blake continued to own shares in Friendly's, but took a hands-off approach with regard to its corporate affairs.
[12] The Blake Student Center at Northfield Mount Hermon School is also named after him.
[14][15] Blake celebrated his centenary in 2014 by constructing a copy of Monticello to modern-day standards in Somers, Connecticut.