James Blair McLeod

Born on June 12, 1943, in Wallaceburg, ON, CAN to Scottish immigrants, Blair grew up playing hockey and serving in the churches in which his father pastored in Canada.

Blair was employed as a credit manager for Motorola when he moved to Arizona in 1973, and he continued to work for Motorola until he retired. On June 29, 1983 Blair married his childhood sweetheart and the love of his life, Louise, and she and her daughter Joanna moved to Arizona from Canada.

Blair and his new family were faithful members of Corona Baptist Church, having helped start and build the church. Blair was always concerned about the salvation of his friends and shared Christ with them in his own way. He also served his church in many ways, particularly providing sound financial advice.

Blair was known for many things, among them being tough and resolute, no matter the circumstance. He loved motorsports, having raced sprint cars when he was a young man, and cars in general, of which his knowledge was immense. He was also a master negotiator and loved to make deals. High stakes deals were his specialty, and he always seemed to come out on top. He excelled at money management and was always looking for ways to pass on sound financial wisdom to his daughter and grandchildren. Blair was very generous and met the financial needs of his extended family when they arose.

James is survived by his loving wife Louise McLeod of Chandler, AZ; his daughter, Joanna Banta and her husband Stephen of Hanford, CA; his grandchildren, John Banta and Rebecca Banta, both of Hanford, CA; and his nephews John McLeod and Andrew McLeod of Ontario, Canada. He was preceded in death by his parents, Rev. John McLeod and Rita McLeod, as well as his brother, John Bruce McLeod.

A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church of Chandler, located at 3405 S. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, Arizona 85248, on Saturday, February 7 at 3:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Gideons International at gideons.org to provide Bibles to those who need them.