Jeffrey Alan Blair
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Jeffrey Alan Blair, 71, died Saturday, October 28, 2023. Death, having tried for decades to dispatch Jeff, only to find him too strong an adversary to best in a fair fight, resorted to the desperate and unsportsmanlike conduct of sneaking up on him at home and taking him by surprise when his back was turned.
In life Jeff was a mighty reader, always with a book or three, and as a school librarian he helped foster a love of reading in untold others. He was a tireless collector of music, which he delighted in sharing with friends, family, and casual acquaintances. His humor and neckties ties were legendary, and his contributions to the Theatre Lawrence community are immeasurable. Above all, he was a gentle, thoughtful man and well-loved.
He is survived by his patient wife of 43 years, Sandy, his loving and occasionally embarrassed children Adam (Aimee) and Kate, granddaughter Eady, his sister Karen, his mother Alice, and his devoted cat Molly. His father Don preceded him in death.
An informal remembrance of Jeff will be held at Theatre Lawrence on Saturday, November 11th at 11am. If you would like to make a donation in Jeff’s memory, please consider Theatre Lawrence (care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13th St. Lawrence, KS 66044), where he spent many happy hours and forged many friendships.
Very sorry to hear of Jeff’s passing. He was a supportive and cooperative colleague and was always willing to assist whenever I came in the library with an issue. My deepest sympathy to his family.
I always loved talking with Jeff in the Library at Olathe South. A great colleague who helped this once young teacher navigate research papers with my American History classes. Always loved his sense of humor. You will be missed
My condolences to Jeff’s family. He was a friend during the years we shared at Olathe South, always willing to help me with resources for class assignments and English department textbook issues (oh no, more barcoding!). We enjoyed discussing our personal reading preferences as well as music. I was so touched when he burned me CD’s of Springsteen’s “Seeger Sessions.” He will be missed.
I appreciate the zeal with which Jeff fostered reading. He always helped my sophomore students find a book they could enjoy. I will miss his enthusiasm.
It is impossible to reconcile that a person you once talked extensively to about books and life is gone. Jeff, you will be missed.
Jeff helped me more than once as a new teacher. My deepest sympathies to his family.
I was lucky to share my first few years of Olathe librarianship with Jeff. He was always kind, offered me great advice, and could always be counted on to steer me towards great graphic novel selections– among others– for my students. He has left a lasting legacy on his colleagues and friends here in Olathe. We will continue to carry him forward in our hearts and memories. Sending wishes of peace and healing to all of his friends and family.
Jeff Blair helped foster my love for literature while I was a student at Olathe South. Now as an educator at Olathe South, I will continue to spread the magic of reading in his memory. You will be missed.
Jeff really rocked the library boat when I was his counterpart at Olathe East. I really appreciated his determination and fight to make all types of books available to every student. He was incredibly intelligent and had one of the best dry senses of humor I have ever known. He really welcomed me into the librarian circle and I will definitely miss him.
My condolences and prayers to all his family and friends.
Jeff was a colleague of mine at Olathe South. I am saddened by his passing. He was always willing to help with resources for lessons I needed in my classroom. He was professional and someone I could always turn to for recommendations of the very best literature regardless of topic or genre. I enjoyed his sense of humor immensely. He will be missed by all that knew him.
Jeff was the best. I met him in Lawrence while I was teaching and directing his amazing children. I also had a brief connection with him through my involvement with Lawrence Community Theatre. When he saw me at South interviewing for my current job, he went to the principal and advocated for me. I owe him my career. And from that day on, Jeff brought me plays, musicals, articles about theatre, and the latest news on theatre in Lawrence. He even graced our stage at Olathe South playing Doc in West Side Side. The thespian motto is “act well your part.” Jeff definitely did that.
Jeff warmly welcomed me into the Theatre Lawrence family years ago during “Seussical the Musical”. He did not care that it was my first show there, only that I knew I had a place among the longtime volunteers. Only later did I learn we shared the profession of school librarian, but I was not completely surprised by this fact. Jeff was outstanding at including everyone and fighting for a space that valued inclusion as well. He worked hard to make sure no one was left out and everyone had what they needed. He will be sorely missed, but we can carry his light forward by continuing this advocacy.
Jeff was a stalwart volunteer at Theatre Lawrence where I teamed up with him on many productions at the former building and the new building. He performed onstage for many shows in addition to volunteering behind the scenes. His easygoing manner was appreciated by everyone. Even during bouts of illness in recent years, he worked at home curating playlists of recorded pre-show and intermission music for all of the productions. We will miss him greatly.
I worked with Jeff in Olathe Schools for many years and knew him as a skilled peer who was extremely knowledgeable about literature. He was super wry and also very kind at the same time. I can recall many instances where I saw a twinkle in his eyes and if you weren’t paying attention, you just might have missed a pithy comment he’d made. He loved keeping up on the Lawrence and Johnson County political landscape and was involved in the Olathe Schools’ “Annie On My Mind” censorship court case – a case that is still studied and discussed in law schools today. Many students found Jeff’s library space to be invitational, inclusive, and friendly and those qualities are a hallmark of librarianship if there ever was one. May he rest in peace.
Sandy, I just heard of Jeff’s passing and want to pass along my condolences. I know you have so many wonderful memories of Jeff with you and your family. I hope those memories will help comfort you now during this difficult time.
My heart is broken by this news. Jeff played my father onstage not once, but twice. He welcomed me immediately to LCT. I worked on stage and off stage on countless productions. He saw and valued this weird theater kid and sent me many a playlist. He was a staple of theatre Lawrence. I will miss him
I had the great privilege to work with Jeff as he assisted directing Doug Weaver at Theater Lawrence. He was such a kind, funny and intelligent human. It’s hard to imagine anyone nicer. My deepest sympathy to Sandy, and all his family and friends. Sandy, thankyou for giving me the tie I painted for him for Blith Spirit. My his memory be a blessing.
My heart goes out to all mourning the loss of our friend, Jeff. I met Jeff at Theater Lawrence and his kindness was always present. He was quirky, thoughtful, and reliable. He carried with him the confidence of a man who knew who he was and enjoyed the present moment. I’m so grateful for the experiences we shared onstage and off.