Donald A. Blair, 77

Donald A. Blair passed “from this life into eternity” at his home near Columbia Falls on Aug. 23, 2011, following a brief, but heroic surrender to cancer.

Don was born in Kalispell on Nov. 19, 1933, the only son of Curtis M. and Clara E. Blair of Apgar, on Lake McDonald. He attended four years of elementary at the Apgar School before moving to Columbia Falls where his mother Clara had taken a teaching position. He continued to spend his summers at the family home in Apgar until 1955 when the property was sold back to the Park Service, and Curtis and Clara took up permanent residency in Columbia Falls.

After short stints of working at Plum Creek and on the Great Northern Railroad, Don enlisted in the Navy in 1953. Following four years of service he returned home and landed a civil service job as a building systems and maintenance foreman at the new Air Force base in Glasgow. 

In 1962, Donald married Marion Plante of Grand Forks, N.D., who was a second grade teacher in the Glasgow East Side Elementary School.

Anticipating the closure of the Glasgow Base, Don moved his family back to the Flathead Valley in 1967 and began to work at the Lakeside Radar Base on Flathead Lake.  Following the closure of the Lakeside Base, Don transferred to the U.S. Forest Service in 1978 and worked in many locations including Condon, Bigfork, Big Creek, Ford Station, Hungry Horse and Spotted Bear in the South Fork. 

In 1981 Don completed 25 years of civil service and retired from government work. From 1981 to 1989, he worked in maintenance at the Montana State Veterans Home in Columbia Falls. Don was also a member of the Badrock Volunteer Fire Department for 21 years, serving as a member of the board as well.

Don loved the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing with his friends.  Every summer he took great pride in preparing and harvesting his garden.  He also loved spending time with his four grandchildren. He will be remembered as an honest, hard working, giving and loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, who will be greatly missed.

Donald was preceded in death by his parents; and one son, “Angel Don Blair.”

He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Marion; and his three children, Craig Blair of Orlando, Fla., Charmaine Cornelius and husband David Baker of Columbia Falls, and Kent Blair and wife Tina of Columbia Falls; as well as four grandchildren, Tyler Donald Cornelius, Curtis and Kiennah Blair, and Rico Rothermel.

A funeral service for family and friends will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, at the Columbia Mortuary in Columbia Falls. A reception will follow at the Fellowship Alliance Church. Burial with military honors will take place at 2:30 p.m. in the C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery.

The family wishes to express their sincere appreciation and heartfelt thanks to the staff of Frontier Hospice for the friendship, care and loving kindness they have extended to the entire family.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers memorial contributions in memory of Donald may be made to either the Badrock Volunteer Fire Department or Friends of Hospice.

 Arrangements are entrusted to Columbia Mortuary.