Edward John Blair

Edward John Blair—loving, passionate, and devoted husband, father, and friend—left behind the body that had been failing him and entered his eternal life with the Lord on June 19, 2020. He was 86 years old.

Born on November 23, 1933, to the late Edward J. and Mary (Hynes) Blair, he lived in Baltimore until the age of fifteen, when he joined the Passionist Monastery in New York. He served as a monk with the order for twelve years before determining it was not his calling. As a brother, one of his tasks was running the kitchen, which began for him a lifelong love of cooking and of food service. He then oversaw the meals at Childville, a center for children with emotional challenges, while also taking night classes and eventually earning his degree from NYU. He was the Catering and Food Service Manager at Columbia University before making his way in the corporate world, first with Saga Food Service and then with Marriott, retiring as a regional vice president. His work took him to Denver, Seattle, San Jose, and, eventually, to Colorado Springs.

Ed possessed a deep affection for the outdoors and all that it offered. He was a skier, hiker, camper, golfer, tennis player, angler, and runner, and he savored the trips he took across the country with his wife in their camper.

However, Ed would be the first to say that none of his professional accomplishments or personal interests were what he most valued or what he wanted to define him. He proudly celebrated his fifty-fifth wedding anniversary just two weeks before his passing, and his marriage to Kathy, the love of his life, was what mattered most to him on this earth. His three children—Erin, Ed (Heidi), Jeff (Myrna)—were also his closest friends, and his investment in their lives and in the lives of his six grandchildren (Mikaela, Noah, Katie, Hannah, Austyn, Ethan) were his proud legacy. He cherished being able to support others, serving for years as a Befriender Minister and as a Eucharistic Minister to the Homebound at Saint Francis Parish. For Ed, God was not a distant figure, but the One with Whom he daily sought a deeper relationship, an intimacy where he could learn to give up control and surrender to Him. Ed lived the great adventure of seeking God and loving people, beginning with those closest to him.

He is preceded in death by three children (John, Lisa, Jimmy) and two brothers, Thomas (Terry) and Paul (Catherine). He is survived by his brother Bob (Cindy), his sister Mary, his wife, his children and grandchildren, nephews and nieces, and the many members of his parish whose lives he touched and who so impacted him.

The interment will take place at Memorial Gardens on Saturday, June 27, at a private ceremony for family. A memorial service will be scheduled when the threat of the pandemic has ended. The family expresses its sincerest thanks to all who have come alongside them, especially the staff at Interim Healthcare of Colorado Springs Hospice.