Birth Date: 09/18/1961
Deceased Date: 07/04/2017
On July 4th at 1:01 am, fireworks were signaling the arrival of Robert Blake Stallings on to Heaven’s Bright Shore. Blake is now singing tenor with the Heavenly Choir. Blake suffered a long battle with non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. After a one and half year wait on the transplant list, on February 12, the Lord performed a miracle by providing Blake a new liver and kidney. Following a lengthy recovery period, Blake’s body just couldn’t bounce back from complications, so the Lord performed yet another miracle and called to him to his eternal home.
Blake was a vibrant man that loved people. He always had a kind word and warm smile for everyone that he encountered. He cherished spending time with his family, singing, and preaching for the Lord. Blake also enjoyed wood work, gardening, grilling, and flea market shopping. Most weekends if he wasn’t singing and preaching, he was watching a ball game or Nascar racing. His favorite pastime was spending time with his grandchildren and they fondly referred to him as Poppy. He still found time for “his bride”, Sandra of 18 ½ years.
Blake was a graduate of Southern Nash High School. He also received secondary education degrees from Wilson Technical Institute and Carolina Bible Institute as well as attending Atlantic Christian College. Blake was employed as a plumber with Johnston County Schools.
Blake was an ordained minister and pastored Parrish Memorial Baptist Church and Rock Springs Original Freewill Baptist Church. He also enjoyed singing for the Lord. Blake sang with The Gospel Laymen, Assurance, The Watchman Quartet, The Oak Grove Boys and The Ambassadors. He was well known for jumping in and filling in with any group that needed a singer.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 7, at 7 PM in Selma Baptist Church. The family will receive friends at the church from 5 to 7 PM. Burial services will be on Saturday at 11 AM in the Fellowship Methodist Church Cemetery near Kenly.
He is reunited in heaven with his father Junior Stallings, 2 siblings, and a niece. He is survived by his wife, Sandra Radford Stallings of the home; mother, Dorothy Stallings of Zebulon; daughter, Holly Stallings Lewis (Todd) of Rocky Mount; sons, Adam Stallings (Rhiannon) of Stantonsburg, Tyler Stallings (Bonnie) of Wake Forest; Will Jackson (Crystal) of Kenly, and Brandon Jackson (Samantha) of Pikeville; grandchildren, Alice Richardson, Ava Jackson, Addi Jackson, Kaelynn Lewis, Zachary Lewis, Rhyan Stallings, Eli Jackson and Blakely Stallings; brother, Derek Stallings (Kim) of Rocky Mount. He also leaves behind to cherish his memory several nieces and nephews as well as brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Clavon and Mildred Whitley that have been instrumental in his care for the last few years.
Memorials made given in his memory to Carolina Donor Services, 3621 Lyckan Parkway, Durham, NC 27707.
