William A. Blair, 57

FELTON - William A. Blair of Felton died Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007, in his home, surrounded by the loving family he cared so much for. He was 57.

Mr. Blair was born in Dover, son of Alice Marie Blair and the late Archie Blair.

He served his country proudly in the U.S. Marines during the Vietnam War, where he spent 18 months in the country.

Upon discharge from the Marines, he went to work for General Food of Dover where he spent the next 20 years. He started out as a janitor and worked his way up to a senior supervisor.

Mr. Blair was also a member of the Delaware Air Force Reserves. Mr. Blair was the security manager for the Dover Air Force Base. To this day, he is still the highest decorated officer at the air base.

He had 33 Air Medals, five Bronze Stars, and numerous Purple Hearts which he had denied. He believed many other soldiers deserved those Purple Hearts over himself.

Mr. Blair was a diehard Marine. He lived and modeled his life after the Marine Corps values. Honor and integrity were the foundations of his life, as well as God and country. His word was his bond, and you could take his word to the bank. He was never afraid to approach his commanders and tell them they were wrong and that they needed to apologize to their men, and oftentimes they would. He never backed down, and even got denied promotions, because he stuck to his beliefs and values.

He always saw both sides of a conflict. When approached to remedy a situation, he would ask, "What"s the point," "Will this be good enough," "What are you prepared to do about it, to resolve this problem," and "Are you part of the problem, or part of the solution."

In his spare time, Mr. Blair enjoyed going to auctions, and hunting. He enjoyed studying history, especially the history of the Constitution, and political issues. He was a firm believer of the Constitution and the ideas and values associated with the Constitution and this country. He believed in keeping God in the Constitution and "In God We Trust." Mr. Blair was a member of the NRA, and the Disabled American Veterans.

Mr. Blair will be remembered as a man of honor, integrity, and honesty. His love of the Marine Corps, God, country, and family were second to none, and he will be missed dearly by his loving family.

In addition to his father, he was preceded in death by three brothers, Frank Blair, Bob Blair and Sam Blair; and a sister, Rose Blair.

He is survived by his mother, Alice Marie Blair of Dover; his loving wife of 34 years, Donna A. Blair of Felton; a son and a daughter-in-law, Aaron C. and Cindy L. (Marshall) Blair of Felton; a daughter and a son-in-law, Jamie D. and Charlie R Reed III of Felton; eight brothers and sisters, Chuck Blair of Marydel, Wayne Sapp of Viola, Danny Blair of Dover, Jean Diane Aiken of Felton, Joan M. Blair of Dover, Dennie J. Buxton of Hotsprings, Alaska, Doris M. Carey of Shannon, Pa. and Rose Bennett of Chicago; and a grandson, Charles R. "Chas" Reed IV.

Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Thursday in Faith Community Church, 2240 S. DuPont Highway, Camden, where friends may call one hour earlier.

Burial will be in Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Millsboro.

Instead of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to Delaware Hospice, 911 S. DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901.