State senator Jake Flake dies at 72

State Sen. Franklin "Jake" Flake, a former House speaker and 11-year veteran of the Legislature, died Sunday at his Snowflake home.

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Flake, 72, who broke eight ribs after being thrown from a horse two weeks ago, collapsed and could not be revived.

It was not immediately known whether his death was directly related to those injuries.

"He was doing well. He was alert and fine this morning, but as he was walking around the house, he fell down and he stopped breathing," said son Travis Flake, 35, of Snowflake. "His heart stopped and they were never able to get him going again ... It was a shock to all of us."

Travis Flake said doctors told the family they aren't sure what caused the death.

"They don't know," he said. "They think when he fell down, because his ribs were broken already, that may have done it right there. They're not totally sure."

Flake, a Republican, told Capitol Media Services after the horse riding accident that he expected the injuries from the "ornery mare" would allow him to return to the Capitol before the session ends.

Daughter Celeste Dana of Mesa said that Flake was "feeling a lot better," even going to a wedding Saturday.

"He didn't do any dancing," she said, but he was feeling so well he did not use his oxygen tank Saturday night. Dana said that may have led to the Sunday fall onto the broken ribs.

Gov. Janet Napolitano, in a prepared statement, called Flake "a leader of great strength and wisdom who worked with passion on behalf of the people of Arizona."

U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Jake Flake's nephew, said in a statement that he's lost a caring uncle and mentor.

"Words cannot express the sadness we all feel at the passing of Jake Flake," he said. "His family has lost a loving father, his church a devoted servant, his community a loyal advocate, and Arizona a great statesman."

One of Flake's last acts before he was injured was to try to void the executive order by the governor directing the Department of Environmental Quality to enact new "greenhouse gas" emission standards for cars and trucks sold in Arizona. He even pushed a measure to strip DEQ of that power - as well as block yet-to-be enacted rules for industries - through the Legislature, only to have it vetoed.

Born and raised in Snowflake, a town named after his grandfather, Flake owned the F-Bar Ranch with three of his brothers and was one of the last real cowboys in the Arizona Legislature.

First elected in 1996, Flake served as House speaker in 2003 and 2004, representing a large swath of east-central Arizona that encompassed all or part of seven counties.

Jeff Flake said all members of the family were encouraged to get involved in politics. He said the family's politics probably started with his great-grandfather.

"An outlaw shot through his ear and killed his brother, Charles," Jeff Flake said. "So he had a bad ear," requiring him to sit close to the radio "and listen to current events."

Despite his Republican registration, Flake developed a close relationship with Rep. Jack Brown, D-Snowflake, who represents the same district.

"He supported me in the House for a long, long time," recalled Brown, who began serving in the Legislature in the 1960s. When Flake decided to run for the House himself in 1996, Brown said he was invited to a fundraiser.

"I guess I was the only Democrat there," he said.

In a brief biographical background he prepared for the Legislature, Flake said his childhood chores on the F-Bar Ranch taught him that the path to success comes through hard work and self-sufficiency.

A 1960 graduate of Arizona State University - the first graduating class after it was no longer Arizona State College - he went back to work on his father's ranch before purchasing the operation with three of his brothers.

He said it was one of the most successful cattle operations in the Southwest states, owning or leasing ranches and marketing bulls and heifers throughout the region and Mexico.

Flake served as a board member and president of two school boards, an irrigation district, a hospital operating board, and a farm credit council's board of directors.

He also served 18 years on the Grand Canyon Council of the Boy Scouts of America, served on the Arizona Rural Health Association Board, the Blue Ridge Natural Resources Working Group, the Arizona 4-H Foundation, and the Snowflake Heritage Council.

Flake was married for more than 48 years to Mary Louise. They have 13 children, 55 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.