Blake Webb Died

I met Blake Edwards Webb during my first summer of the year of 2007 working as a Wilderness Counselor at The Salvation Army's Camp Kuratli, in Boring, Oregon USA. I worked here the summers of 2007 and 2008.

I served on missions team (funded by The Salvation Army) with him in Hawaii. I landed in Hawaii on Friday, the 31st of August 2007. I was there for 9 months.

I reunited with Webb, as he moved from California to Portland, Oregon to be the youth pastor at the Salvation Army church (corps) called Moore Street Corps in August of 2011. Before, I was not much of a friend, but we started becoming best friends in 2011. I helped him with youth activities and even acted in the children Christmas play at their church in 2011.

I stayed the night at his house Saturday night during the Basketball Tournament at Moore Street. I was helping Webb with sorting the shirts to pass to the players, and we were playing on a team as well.

Saturday night, we talked about my younger sister, about Megan McQuade, about video games, and I fell asleep on the couch in the basement at his house in Portland, Oregon USA. He fell asleep before I did and I thought I heard him struggle with breathing as he slept but I did nothing.

In the morning, I woke up and had some snacks and waited. I was upset because I think we were going to be late for the last day of the basketball tournament, but not that it matters since we were already defeated yesterday.

The owner of the house came home and did not know who I was. I told him I was friends with Blake. I knocked on the door of Blake's room, in the basement, but was not answered by the voice of Blake. I opened the door and saw a lifeless Webb on the bottom bunk of his bed. I told the owner man who immediately called 911. I was not able to perform CPR or mouth to mouth on a bouncing bunk bed with springs.

I did not pull him off his bed in fear of being accused of murdered.


Sunday, the 2nd of May of the year 2010.

By Joey Arnold, the Original Oatmeal.

About the death of my friend Blake Edwards Webb.

In Portland, Oregon, United States.

They say Webb was having small heart attacks.

I wrote about his death in details, which inspired concern in others.

People thought I needed medical attention and professional help.

Only a few confronted me while others did not even say a word to me.

I was not even asked to speak at his funeral or other events.

Ronnie Gilden hugged me briefly.

Michael Kurtz remarked about how I was still calm. Maybe he thought that I may have been like Dexter, a serial killer who also is calm in the mist of violence as well.