Blair A McSpadden

She was preceded in death by her husband of 39 years, Colonel William A. (Bill) McSpadden II, US Army Retired, and her dear sister Edith Ashworth.

Born Ellen “Blair” Ashworth on Feb 4, 1931 in Arlington, Virginia, Blair was named for her great-great grandfather, John Blair, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and one of the first Supreme Court Justices. Shortly thereafter, her father, a general contractor, moved the family to Danville. She spent her youth there, before going to Averett College. She moved to Northern Virginia where she became an employee of Sidney O. Dewberry, who operated an engineering firm. She stayed with that firm for 25 years, starting as a secretary and ending up as the Director of Logistics for the company. She was the first female in the firm to be promoted to Senior Associate, and at that time, had few peers throughout Northern Virginia. After her retirement in 1991, she continued her association with the firm for several years as a consultant. In this capacity, she was responsible for setting up and running large commemorative type events for a firm that had since grown to be one of the largest, privately owned Architectural and Engineering Companies in the United States. Today, it is simply known by the name and reputation – “Dewberry”. Blair bore fond memories of the company and the Dewberry family for the remainder of her life. She retired in 1991.

Blair and Bill resided in both Northern Virginia and Florida. They loved to travel and took many trips to exotic places, as well as going on 28 cruises throughout the world. Most of all, they had fun together wherever they were. Bill would tell one of his jokes and Blair’s sparkling laughter would make it good, even if it weren’t.

A private celebration of Blair’s life will be held in the home she and Bill shared.

Interment will be at a later date in the Fernhill Memorial Gardens Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, it is suggested that a donation be made to First Presbyterian Church of Stuart, 1715 NW Pine Lake Dr., Stuart, Florida 34994, in Blair’s name.