Ann Blair, passed away on Monday, September 11, 2023 at the New York State Veteran's Nursing Home in Batavia, surrounded by her family.
Ann was married to Lee Blair, who passed away in 2011. Lee and Ann were married for 58 years and had three children: Lee (Mary Ann) Blair, Jr. of Byron, New York, Laurel (Tom) Moormann of Cleveland Heights, Ohio and Edwin (Kathleen) Blair of Wytheville, Virginia. Ann is survived by her children, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Marilyn Britt and many nieces and nephews, including Kim and Mark Dewey and Don and Chrystal Britt, all of Byron, New York.
Ann was born on February 12, 1934, in Warsaw, New York to Blanche and Glenn Despard. She enlisted in the United States Air Force following graduation from Batavia High School. While stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi she met and married the love of her life, Lee Blair. Lee and Ann lived in Byron, New York for over 20 years, and then relocated to Wytheville, Virginia where they lived for almost 40 years. After raising her children, and completing a 20-year career as a laboratory technician, Ann resumed her education completing her Bachelor's Degree from Radford University and then completing her Masters of Divinity from Duke University. She was ordained an elder in the United Methodist Church in 1984 and served as pastor of several Methodist churches in the Holston Conference. She also served as District Superintendent of the Johnson City and Wytheville Districts prior to her retirement.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 16, 2023 at 2 pm at the Byron Presbyterian Church, 6293 West Main Street, Byron. A reception will immediately follow services in the Fellowship Hall. The family requests that gifts in Ann's name be made to the Byron Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 206, Byron, New York 14422 or Cedar Hill Methodist Church, 2953 Chapman Road, Wytheville, Virginia 24382. To leave a condolence, share a story or light a candle in her memory, please visit www.bataviafuneralhomes.com.
Arrangements for Ann are under the care and direction of the H.E. Turner & Co. Funeral Home, 403 East Main Street, Batavia.
