Dale Blair

Mr. Dale Lee Blair, age 79 of Alba, TX, formerly of Bloomington, IL, passed away on Saturday, October 20th, 2018 in Tyler, TX after a brief illness. He was born October 9th, 1939 in Fredrick, Oklahoma to the late Ben Frank Blair and Vicie Jane Blair. He was a retired cement mason and finisher. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Wanda and their son, Frank. He is survived by his daughter, Deborah (Kevin) Brown, Bloomington, IL; son, Bill (Deborah), of Alba, TX; brothers, Charlie Blair and Denny Blair both of Colorado; sisters Betty Luster of Lexington, IL and Beverly Espinosa of Fredrick, OK; three grandchildren, Melissa Williams, Thomas Brown and Nathaniel Blair; two great-grandchildren, Eva Williams and Royston Williams, many nieces and nephews and his walking buddy, Benji. Mr. Blair was cremated and his ashes laid to rest next to his wife and son in Golden, TX. As a young man, Dale worked as a dock worker in San Francisco, CA; a lumberjack in Washington State; harvested wheat in Montana and was involved in the installation of the Defense Early Warning line system (DEW line) in Alaska and Canada in the mid-1950’s. Dale eventually began his career as a carpenter/construction worker. In 1959 he married the love of his life, Wanda, and they settled in Justice, IL. There, Dale worked on numerous construction projects, eventually gaining the Master Cement Mason designation. Looking at the skyline in Chicago one can see three major projects that Dale was instrumental in helping to build: the John Hancock Building, the Sears Tower and the Standard Oil Building. Dale was also part of the crew that helped build Interstate 55 from Chicago to Bloomington. In 1977, Dale and his family moved to Bloomington, IL, where he was part of the massive construction project for the Clinton Power Plant. After the Clinton Power Plant project was completed, Dale then began working with Stark Excavating in Bloomington eventually retiring in October, 2003. Dale’s love for his family, his huge heart and his sense of humor will be deeply missed. The family is asking that donations be made to the American Cancer Society. Memorial Services will be held at a later date.