Sarah Blakely McCrory: April 10, 2017-July 4, 2025

Sarah Blakely McCrory, Blakely, 8, was ecstatic to follow three generations in her family to Camp Mystic in the stunning heart of the Texas hill country. Blakely’s life was cut short, along with fellow campers and staff in the early hours of July 4, 2025 as Guadalupe waters catastrophically flooded that community. Adding to the tragedy, Blakely’s father, Blake Brenden McCrory also recently passed away on March 29, 2025 of a heart attack after a brief battle with Stage 2 cancer, making Blakely’s death uniquely tragic.

Blakely was born in Houston, Texas on April 10, 2017. Like her father, Blakely was adventuresome. She was looking forward to her favorite activities, basketball, swimming, fishing, horseback riding, archery, and theater at Camp Mystic. In Houston, she channeled her natural theatrical spirit into productions with The Spotlight Project Theater. While her father Blake had a dry wit, Blakely was a prankster, pulling off stunts like sending her pet box turtle to work inside her mom’s purse. As an animal lover, she wanted to attend Texas A&M University to become a veterinarian to care for cattle on Granddaddy Pat’s farm. She attended the Memorial Lutheran School and was a member of the American Heritage Girls, the Children of the American Revolution, and St. Martin’s Episcopal Church. Blakely was described as a live wire, who had a special bond with her brother Brady, 20, whom she loved to tease and lovingly referred to as “Bro Bro.”

Blakely’s father, Blake Brenden McCrory, 59, was born on September 5, 1965 to Pat Sullivan McCrory, Sr. and Sandra Sue Swanson in Houston, Texas. He spent many summers as a boy in Leakey, Texas fishing and hunting with his family, cementing his ties to the hill country. He remained a lifelong outdoorsman, criss-crossing Texas on motorcycles, boating, and fishing along the way, leading to epic adventures in Big Bend National Park. Blake attended Texas A&M for 2 years before transferring to UCLA where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1992. And yet, in his heart, Blake remained a lifelong Aggie as a regular attender of football games at Kyle Field, baseball games at Blue Bell Park, and basketball games at Reed Arena with his entire family. He developed a fun but fierce rivalry with University of Texas alumni friends, including his wife Lindsey McLeod McCrory. Blake and Lindsey met in 2008 through mutual friend, Shelley Grant Tarkington IV, and married in 2012 in a picturesque wedding in Rolling Hills, California. Professionally, he began his career in film production, on movie and commercial sets in Hollywood. Later, he started a creative marketing firm called Ideology with business partner and good friend Susan DeShazer Fichaud in Houston, Texas where he served as Brand and Campaign Director. He was a devoted father to both his children, Brady Sullivan and Blakely McCrory, the lights of his life.

The family of Blakely and Blake McCrory wishes to acknowledge a third recent loss. Lindsey’s brother, Blakely’s uncle Chanse Lane McLeod, 59 who passed away on June 7, 2025. It is the family’s strong belief that Blakely’s father and uncle sensed her distress in the floodwaters and were present to receive her safe and sound into their caring arms to guide her into the presence of her loving Savior in heaven. They are preceded in death by Blakely’s grandmothers, Sandra McCrory McKee and Sarah “Sally” Helms McLeod. Remaining next of kin include mother Lindsey McLeod McCrory; brother Brady Sullivan McCrory; uncles Pat Sullivan McCrory Jr.

(Johnnie), Cole Christian McCrory (Sherri), and Mark Allen McCrory; grandfather Pat Sullivan McCrory Sr.; grandfather E. Douglas “Doug” and wife Joan Williams McLeod; aunts Alexandra McLeod Blazevich (John), Joanie Douglas McLeod, Sara Overly McLeod, Meg Walker Janek (Craig), and Libbie Walker Ansell (Bill); great aunt Dorothy McLeod MacInerney (Buddy); great uncle John Michael Helms, adoring friends, and countless cousins from the Ansell, Bowman, Helms, Janek, MacInerney, Matthews, McCrory, McLeod, and Moody families.

Funeral services were held at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church 717 Sage Road, Houston, TX 77056 on Friday, July 18, at 1:00 pm where colorful attire was encouraged.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to continue to touch the lives of children as Blakely had during her short life on earth https://ghcf.kimbia.com/theblakelymccrorychildrensfund