Those who knew her say Loetta Blair’s biggest asset was her ability to connect with people.
“She came from nothing and knew how that feels,” said her daughter-in-law, Vanessa Blair of Pevely. “She didn’t want anybody to feel hopelessness or despair. She tried to spread a little bit of joy because she knew what it felt like to be helpless.
“For her, helping was empowerment; she overcame so much and it was time to give back.”
Mrs. Blair died Aug. 6 at age 66 of an apparent heart attack. She had worked since the 1980s with the Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corp., a nonprofit agency that works to improve the quality of life for those in poverty. She also was involved with many charities and support groups in the area, including the Toys and More program that helps low-income families at Christmastime.
Toys and More founder Kathy Ogle said her friend’s help and support was invaluable, but she never wanted to be in the spotlight.
“She was the one behind the scenes doing core things like documentation, eligibility, reaching out to the low-income community, coordinating with different food pantries,” Kathy said. “One time her picture was in the paper, and she threw a little fit. She was uncomfortable being recognized for her good deeds.”
Mrs. Blair grew up in poverty herself, raised by her grandparents. She graduated from Maplewood High School and went to work as a waitress.
“She was a car hop on skates at Steak ’n Shake on Manchester. I used to go over there on my lunch,” recalled David Blair, her husband of nearly 45 years.
The two were married in August 1977 and had three children in five years. She continued working as a server, including on the Robert E. Lee riverboat in downtown St. Louis, but eventually moved on to other work.
“When I was small, we lived in Illinois,” recalled her son, Patrick, 40. “She did home day care during the day, then sold Home Interiors in the evenings and on the weekends. She dragged us all over the place in her little station wagon crammed full of stuff.”
The family moved to the Hillsboro area in 1988, and Mrs. Blair started driving a bus for the JFCAC’s Head Start program
“As positions opened up, she’d take them, and she kept just going up and up,” David said. “She put in a lot of hours volunteering and working.”
“My mother would get up at 4:30 in the morning and go nonstop until it was time for bed at night,” Patrick said.
Despite their busy schedules, the Blairs did take time away from work to have some fun together.
“We took the kids to Disney World something like four times,” David said. “She and I went to Vegas, to Gatlinburg. We were just a normal family, working and getting along.”
Mrs. Blair collected a wealth of knowledge and connections throughout the years.
“You could scroll for days through all the phone and email contacts she had,” Patrick said. “The most amazing thing at her funeral was how many people just kept coming.”
Those connections helped her at work, her husband said.
“People would come in who needed stuff, and she could always throw them in the right direction,” he said. “She had a lot of answers, and if she wasn’t sure, she would say, ‘Let me make a call,’ and locate what they needed.”
Family, co-workers and friends all spoke of Mrs. Blair’s even-handedness.
“I don’t care if it was a millionaire or a homeless guy behind Walmart, she treated them the same,’ Kathy said.
Patrick agreed.
“Man, woman, black, white, rich, poor -- if you needed help, you just had to ask.”
Mrs. Blair also treated those in desperate circumstances with dignity.
“She never made anyone who came to her with a need feel like they weren’t worthy,” Vanessa said. “She made you feel like you were really special.”
The Blairs were longtime members of Zion United Methodist Church in Mapaville.
“She had such faith,” Kathy said. “No matter what ever happened, prayer was her go-to. Without that, she didn’t think she’d have had the strength to go very far.”
Mrs. Blair had some heart trouble a few years ago and a stent was put in. In recent weeks, she had intermittent breathing difficulties.
“She’d say, ‘I’ll be OK in a minute,’ and it would pass,” David said. “She never did call in sick or anything.”
Aug. 6 started off like any other day, with Mrs. Blair rising early and heading downstairs to her home office to enjoy Oreos and milk and check the computer.
“She was heavily into genealogy and liked visiting with people on Facebook,” David said. “I left the house about 10:15 and got back around noon, and she was sitting there with her head back. I thought she was just sleeping.”
First responders worked on her for a good while, but were unable to elicit any response.
“They didn’t get even one blip,” David said. “They said it must have been fast.”
Mrs. Blair’s family says she will be remembered for her determination.
“She wasn’t intimidated by any obstacle,” Vanessa said. “She knew there was a genuine need in this county and she wanted to help as much as she could. She learned so much throughout her career, and was generous about sharing that knowledge.
“People would call her and be upset and she would say, ‘We’re going to figure this out together,’ and she would.”
“Life Story,” posted Saturdays on Leader Publications’ website, focuses on one individual’s impact on his or her community.