James Floyd Blair Jr.

J. Floyd Blair passed away on August 22, 2017. He was the embodiment of the Greatest Generation. Born September 1921 in Frederick, Oklahoma, Floyd grew up and experienced the Oklahoma Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. He graduated from Frederick High School and attended Oklahoma State University for 3 years prior to enlisting in the Navy in 1943. He served in the Navy in WW II as an aviator and flight instructor stationed at Guam in the Pacific theater, was honorably discharged in 1947, and subsequently served for a decade in the Naval Reserve Forces stationed at the Naval Air Station Dallas (Hensley Field). After the war, he resumed his education at the University of Oklahoma and graduated with a B.S. degree in Petroleum Engineering in 1949 and was a Registered Professional Engineer for over 50 years. In 1948, he married his wife of 47 years, Bette, who also served in the U. S. Navy as a nurse in WW II. He was employed at General Dynamics for 38 years. Notably, he was the lead writer for the pilot’s manual for the F-16 fighter jet. Floyd was involved in numerous family and community activities. A faithful member of Western Hills Community Church, he sang bass in the choir for nearly 50 years. He was the President of the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association and attended the annual EAA Fly-in in Oshkosh, Wisconsin several times. Always an automobile enthusiast, he restored a vintage Model-T Ford, owned two classic Studebaker coupes, and participated in the North Texas Studebaker Drivers Club. He served a civic duty as an election judge in Tarrant County for many years. He was ever ready to try something new and adventurous, undertaking many trips to the southwest with his uncle. Floyd took his family to camp in the Colorado wilderness, and even learned how to snow ski in his fifties. His daughters remember him as a loving, fun, and supportive parent. His patient disposition was often seen in his good-natured interactions with children. Floyd and Bette were devoted grandparents whose love and encouragement are the greatest treasures given to their grandchildren. Preceding him in death were his wife, Bette; his second wife, Letha Norris; and his sisters Peggy, Joyce, and Louise. He is survived by two daughters, Mary Blair Holbein and Margaret L. Blair. He has four grandchildren; Aric Blair Holbein, Arden Blair Holbein, Elizabeth Anne Stump, and Katherine Stump; and two great-grandchildren.