Richard Warren Blair

He was born in Mackinaw, Illinois on April 25, 1937 to William and Lillian Blair. Dick and his wife, Maribel Meiner Blair, had a true love story, meeting in a dance hall and eventually planning a future together. They were in engaged in February and eloped in June of 1958. Dick and Maribel were true companions for 61 years. Blessed by Christian faith and devotion to family, Dick and Maribel celebrated life together to the fullest.

Dick enlisted and served as a private first class during the Berlin Crisis in the US Army. He worked on the Illinois Terminal and Chicago North Western Railroads and retired from Caterpillar after 30 years. He spent his retirement devoted to volunteering. He spent a decade in mission work in Texas, Louisiana and Florida, performing a menu of services from roofing to building houses to loading semi-trucks to provide disaster relief. In Illinois, he volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, Stephen’s Ministry, the Methodist’s Hospital Red Coat program, and his church’s food pantry. Dick was an avid Cubs fan, certified as a master gardener, and a member of the First United Methodist Church in East Peoria for 54 years, where he loved to sing in the choir.

Dick was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle. He is survived by his wife, Maribel; his son and daughter-in-law, Joseph and Julie Blair; his daughter Pamela Blair Martin; and his grandchildren, Shayanne Martin (Dr. Jeremy Tanner), C. Shale Martin, S. Blair Martin, Ian Blair (fiancé Kasia Solomianko), Anna Blair, Gavin Blair, and Colin Blair. Also surviving are his sisters and brothers, Marilyn King, Donald (Mary) Blair, Judy (Carl) Meiner, and Ellis Wayne (Patricia) Blair; and several nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sisters and brother, Florence McFadin, Bill Blair, and Dorothy Johnson.

Cremation rites have been accorded and the immediate family are honoring him privately on April 18, 2020. A larger memorial service will be held publicly in June 2020. Memorials can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or East Peoria First United Methodist Church Food Pantry.