Blake Van Hoof-Packard loved to fly kites and watch his mom cook meals for him.


SARASOTA - Blake VanHoof packed an entire lifetime of experience into just 16 years, during which the Suncoast Polytechnic High School student pursued diving and bike racing and visited China, Holland and Costa Rica.

Those treasured memories are softening the blow just a bit for the family of VanHoof, which is mourning the boy after he was struck by a car and killed while summering in Cape Cod last week.

“He did a lot of stuff, and he had a full life in his 16 years,” said Blake's father, Johannes “Joop” VanHoof, a mason and owner of Base Construction in Sarasota. “I'm so glad we did all that with him.”

Blake was walking his bicycle along Route 6 on the Cape Cod peninsula about noon Thursday when a car veered off the road and hit him.

The car nearly struck Blake's girlfriend, who was walking just behind him. Cape Cod authorities are investigating and have not yet indicated if the driver was impaired.

“It's just unbelievable,” said family friend Maura Howl, who is also a spokesperson for Manatee Technical Institute. “He's such a sweet-natured kid, just so good and always positive.”

Blake lived in Sarasota for most of the year and was going to be a high school junior.

Blake, his father said, enjoyed diving, kite-flying, skateboarding and bike racing. He had seen the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls and took international trips with his family.

Blake's mother, Leslie Packard, is a well-known artist and director of the Packard Gallery in Provincetown.

Blake turned 16 on May 1 and took off for a summer in Cape Cod. His father said he was a “wise, old soul” and not eager to secure his driver's permit.

“He told me he didn't have to get anywhere,” VanHoof said. “He had a good time with exactly what he had, always.”

He also continued to develop artistic skills, following in the footsteps of many family members. He painted, worked with welded pieces and recently became interested in street art, using spray paint on different canvases, Howl said.

Blake was also proficient on computers and even designed a few computer video games, she said.

And the teen loved all kinds of animals; he owned a dog, a ferret, a snake and fish, Howl said.

Blake has two adult sisters and a brother on his father's side: Janna VanHoof of Toronto, Skie Johnson and Joper VanHoof, both of Bradenton.

He also has an older brother, Stephen, on his mother's side. Blake was uncle to three nieces and had a large extended family of aunts, uncles and about 35 cousins.
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And because it's too easy to forget.....





ATB,
Sam

terrible news..................I have 3 kids (two teenagers) 15 and 17........................just the thought tears me up...............prayers and my best to Blakes family.................

Very sad story indeed! I have three kids as well, couldn't even imagine what it would feel like to lose one.

One never knows when we will go. We can only hope that we enjoy what time we have here!

Thanks for sharing Sam! My best wishes to his family and friends!

This type of story brings tears to my eyes. We also have kids. Some of you know The Kidd who is 15 and the youngest. The other 5 are grown with there own families.
Though I have never experianced the loss of a child I have lost a sister. I have to imagine the loss of a child is a differant world of anguish.

This is very sad news indeed. When we lose someone we admire or know, it seems that time stands still. Thanks for sharing Sam. All best wishes to his family and his al friends!