ESTILL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Estill County is mourning the death of Blake Crowe, a beloved teacher and coach who died after an accident Sunday.
Crowe taught math at the middle school and was the high school varsity baseball coach, a position formerly held by his father.
Superintendent Jeffrey Saylor described Crowe as a pillar of the Estill County community, even at a young age.
The flags are at half staff at Estill County High School baseball field as the community mourns the loss of Blake Crowe. He was a math teacher at the middle school & the head coach of the baseball team. @LEX18News pic.twitter.com/knt07v5PUH
— Jacqueline Nie (@JacquelineMNie) May 10, 2021
"He was an inspiration to the staff and students and wore a lot of hats in the school system," Saylor said. "His family is hurting today, and he's got a family of 14,000 here at Estill County."
The Estill County coroner said the exact cause of death is still under investigation, but it appears Crowe was electrocuted at about 9:30 p.m. when a flag pole at his home fell into an electrical line. The coroner said that wet ground also played a role.
Crowe was a teacher in Estill County for seven years. He taught math at the high school before moving over to the middle school.
Saylor said the school system's crisis team has been activated and will be talking with the students.
"They've lost their math teacher, they've lost their baseball coach, they've lost their gear up mentor, Blake wore a lot of different hats in our school system," Saylor said.
On Monday, the flags at the high school baseball field were at half-staff and the sign in front of the school reads "Rest In Peace Blake Crowe." The team has canceled its games for the rest of the week.
"Engineers, you know, we meet the challenge. It's going to be hard, it's hard to say goodbye," Saylor added.
