Chad Blow Death: It is with the heaviest heart imaginable that I say goodbye to one of my dearest and closest friends — Chad Blow. The words don’t come easy, and even if they did, I don’t believe any words could ever fully express the storm of emotions coursing through my veins right now. This loss doesn’t just belong to me — it belongs to his entire family, to the tight-knit group of friends who loved him like a brother, to the people whose lives he touched with his loyalty, humor, strength, and heart.
To try and capture what Chad meant to us in a few paragraphs almost feels unfair — like trying to hold onto smoke with your bare hands. He was too big, too bright, too real to ever be summed up so simply. But I will do my best to honor the man he was, the role he played in my life, and the void that now sits where his presence used to be.
Chad wasn’t just a friend — he was my brother in arms, my confidant, and often, my personal in-person “Vet therapy.” When things got heavy, he was there. When I needed someone to just get it, he was there. We didn’t always need to say much — sometimes a nod, a long pause, or a few quiet moments over a beer said everything that needed to be said. That’s the kind of bond we shared.
Chad Blow Topeka Kansas Obituary: Kansas Veteran & Hunter Has Passed Away
There’s no substitute for a friend like Chad. He was the kind of guy who’d give you the shirt off his back without hesitation. He carried others when they couldn’t carry themselves. He didn’t talk about being strong — he just was. He didn’t preach loyalty — he lived it. When life took us to hard places — mentally, emotionally, spiritually — we leaned on each other. We were each other’s rocks. And now, without him, I feel like I’m standing on shaky ground.
I’ll miss our talks, the laughs, the honest moments where nothing needed to be filtered or explained. I’ll miss playing bags with you, man — the friendly smack talk, the beers, the camaraderie. But most of all? I’ll miss the hunts. God, the hunts. There was something about being out in the woods with you that made the world make sense. It was our church, our therapy, our peace. Whether we were tracking game or just sitting in silence, those moments were sacred to me — and always will be.
I don’t know if I’ll ever step into the woods again without feeling you beside me. And I wouldn’t want to. Because every hunt from now on? That’s your hunt. The next one — and every one after — is for you, Chad. You’ll be with me in the trees, in the stillness of the morning, in the breath before a shot, in the long walks back home. You’ll be with me always.
Your passing has left an ache in so many hearts — not just mine. Your family, your fellow brothers and sisters in uniform, your friends… we are all hurting, all trying to understand how to carry on without you. But we will, because we know you’d want us to. We’ll laugh again. We’ll share stories. We’ll keep your memory alive in the way we live our lives. Because that’s how we honor someone like you — by living in a way that would make you proud.
You were a veteran, a warrior, a protector, but beyond all that, you were human — beautifully, painfully, wonderfully human. You felt deeply, loved fiercely, and gave fully. You weren’t perfect, none of us are, but you were real. You showed up. And that matters more than anything.
To say you’ll be missed doesn’t even begin to cover it. It’s not just missing you — it’s feeling like a part of my world has shifted permanently. Like a chapter of my life has closed before I was ready. But I take comfort in knowing that this isn’t really the end. I believe — with everything I have — that we will meet again. That our bond, forged in brotherhood and shared experience, doesn’t end with death.
Until then, rest easy, my brother in life and in arms. You earned your peace. You fought your battles. Now you can lay down your burdens and breathe freely.
We’ll carry your name forward. We’ll tell your stories, and we’ll speak your name with pride. You’ll live on in our laughs, in our memories, in the quiet moments and the loud ones. You’ll live on in every hunt, every campfire, every time we raise a glass in your honor.
This next hunt is for you, Chad. Every hunt after that? Yours too.
Peace be with you. Godspeed.
We love you. We miss you. And we will never, ever forget you.