Tate Nathanial Blanton

Tate Nathanial Blanton passed away on Wednesday after losing his battle with addiction at 27 years of age. Tate is survived by his parents, Dean & Heather Blanton; his sister Tori Elizabeth Klauka with her husband Logan & son Marshel; his daughter Skyla Rayne Blanton with her mom Raven Miller, and a huge family that deeply mourns his loss. His grandparents, Terry “Dado” & Karen “Grandmama” Thrift and Norma “MawMaw” & the late Harold "PawPaw” Blanton. His aunts & uncles, Brandon & Cheryl Hamby, Shane & Alicia Eller, Tyler & Kristen Killian, and Tim & Kim Davis. His cousins, Tyrzah, Mazzylyn, Zoey, Koen, Landen, Georgia, Nick, Kyle, Jordan, Jade, and Taylor Grace. Tate had a special relationship with his extended family and friends who are too numerous to name, but he loved them just the same. We want to be honest about his story as a warning to anyone who thinks that addiction can never touch them. 

Tate was born on July 15, 1997 at Cleveland Regional Medical Center in Shelby, NC. He was a loving, rambunctious, energetic, and kind hearted kid. If you ever met Tate, you probably got a hug whether you wanted it or not. I did not hug my own father regularly until Tate came into the picture and taught me that hugging was indeed something men could do! Tate loved to sing & play and was an incredible handful as a child. Tate spent his early years in High Point, NC before moving to Hickory, NC when he was in the third grade. Tate went on to do well in school and was a leader in his church youth community at Christ Church, St. Stephens. Tate made excellent grades and participated in numerous extracurricular activities in middle and high school. In middle school Tate wrestled, played Football, and placed at the FBLA State Leadership Conference in Impromptu Speaking. In High School, Tate was an All-State wrestler as an individual, and more importantly to him, contributed to Fred T. Foard’s first two Dual Team State Championships. Tate also had solo performances in chorus and had prominent roles in Foard theater productions including playing Conrad Birdie in “Bye Bye Birdie”. During his high school years, Tate chose not to drink alcohol or do any drugs and didn’t understand why others did.

After graduation, Tate did not want to go away to college and elected to work and enroll in classes at CVCC. Tate earned an associate in Business and nearly completed a CNC degree but never really found his calling. During this time, Tate decided to stop taking his ADHD medication and started using alcohol, marajuana, and other recreational drugs to self medicate. Eventually, Tate tried opioids and Fentanyl which addicted him and changed the course of his life forever. Tate fought by going into rehab on multiple occasions, but ultimately could not escape his addiction.

There are no words that can express how devastated we are that Tate is no longer with us. Please talk to your kids and/or your peers about the dangers of addiction and please never assume it can’t happen to you or your loved one. I want to thank our families and friends for your incredible support through these trials. I also want to thank the first responders who did their best to revive Tate. Ultimately, God’s will was to take Tate to live with him. Maybe God needed a Tate hug! 

 There will be a private family viewing followed by cremation this week. We will have a Celebration of Life open to all on Friday, March 7, 2025, at 6:00 PM at 3550 Hafer Rd in Claremont, NC 28610. We will honor the life of Tate the way he would have wanted with a bonfire. Feel free to BYOM (Bring Your Own Marshmallows), a blanket or chair, a covered dish to share, a musical instrument, the beverage of your choice, and a story to share about your time with Tate.

Please sign the online guestbook at www.caringcremations.net. The Blanton family has entrusted arrangements to Caring Cremations Life Celebrations and Funerals at 828-855-3350.