She always put family first. He was a teenager dreaming of a career in sports broadcasting.

The lives of Maureen Blake and her son Mark Blake, both of Hamilton, were cut short when a vehicle slammed into theirs near Owen Sound.

They died on scene, along with the passenger of the other car. The other driver was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.


Mark Blake, 18, had just received his G1 driver's licence and was driving with his mom on Highway 6 while on vacation Sunday, said Gerard Murphy, Maureen Blake's future son-in-law.


They had celebrated her 52nd birthday days earlier and had just arrived at a cottage on Francis Lake to relax with family, he said.

A Nissan travelling south on Highway 6 collided with the Blakes' northbound Toyota, around 10:30 a.m., police said.

A passenger in the Nissan, Daniel Caldwell, 19, of Bowmanville, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Nissan, Kiefer Stevens, 20, of Brooklin, remains in hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.


The investigation is ongoing and as of yesterday no charges were laid.


Maureen Blake, her husband Gary and their three children were close-knit. She was a sweet person who always put others first, said her daughter Jessica, who lived with her mom.

"She was always there for us. (Growing up), she stayed at home during the day with us and worked at night," Jessica said.

Recently, they shopped together for a gown for Jessica's October wedding.

"It was a lot of fun. She was so excited. She wanted me to try them all on," she said. "(The wedding is) not going to be the same ... "

Jessica said her brother was "the best" and often talked about becoming a sports broadcaster for ESPN.

He had just graduated from Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School and was to attend Brock University this fall to study sports management.

"They were the best people and my life is never going to be the same without them," Jessica said.

Maureen worked in advertising for 27 years at The Spectator.

She was quick to laugh or offer a hug and often spoke of her family, said Susan Azzopardi, director of advertising at The Spectator.


"Our thoughts are with (her family) now as they try to make sense of this tragedy," she said.


Though the family is "struggling," they are happy the pair were not alone when they died, said Maureen's sister, Mary Joan MacLeod.


Maureen was a news junkie who rented cottages for family vacations.


Being a mom was a priority and she always had a clean house and time to spend with her kids, Jessica, Mark and Matthew.


Mark loved basketball and LeBron James.


"He was the most warm, loving child," MacLeod said.


"At 18, Mark is like 6-foot-3 and he would still hug you or kiss you and tell you he loved you.


"I know he had no regrets because we should all live like Mark -- full of life."