Stephen W. Blair

Stephen W. Blair, age 57 of Huber Heights, passed away Wednesday June 1, 2022 at the Miami Valley Hospital.  Steve exited this life the way he liked to exit a party—quickly, quietly, and when nobody was looking.  He liked to grouse about those long, lingering “country” goodbyes, wherein one would announce their departure, then talk to everyone in the room on their way to the door, and it would take an hour to actually leave.  In actuality, he was the one doing most of the talking, and he was so adored by so many people, no one ever wanted him to leave.  Because when Steve left a party, the party was over. He infused life and laughter and fellowship wherever he was, be it at dinner with friends, or standing in line at Rural King.

His childhood was spent running (probably at full speed) through his neighborhood with his friends (who, by the way, remained his friends for his entire life), causing chaos and mayhem at every opportunity.  He realized early in life the cars were his passion, and he spent his life finding, restoring, and—even though he would swear he was “keeping this one”—selling them so he could go buy another one and do it all again.  Steve graduated from Park Hills High School in 1982—delighting the school administration and disappointing the students left behind.  His high school days were among his fondest memories, and the stories of his antics are legend.  It’s amazing how many of the stories start with, “See this scar….”, and then a finger point to Steve, with the follow-up, “That happened when we….”.  It is impossible to list all of Steve’s friends here, for there are so very many.

Steve married Terri on May 27, 1989.  They had two amazing children, Callie and Gavin, whom he considered his greatest achievement and loved more than life itself.  Steve was an ASE certified Master Technician, but when he discovered he was about to be a father for the first time, he decided to become a real estate agent so he could set his own schedule to accommodate fatherhood.  But, Steve being Steve, still worked on cars on the side, and basically ended up working two full time jobs--fixing cars between home showings and ruining every dress shirt he ever owned.  Eventually, he merged his love of selling things with his love of cars, and opened a used car lot—Acceleration MotorSports, Inc..

Steve loved being a father, and his goal was to make sure they had lots of fond memories of their youth.  He would always come up with things to do with the kids on the weekend (much to their chagrin in those early teen years).  He would take them to concerts at the Fraze or festivals downtown.  When they got into high school, he made sure they had the coolest cars (a mustang for Callie, a camaro for Gavin).

Then came the grandson—Henry Robert.  By this time Steve was retired from the car business (well, not really…), and he had LOTS of time to dedicate to Henry.  He loved spending time with Henry, and never wanted a day to go by without seeing Henry and pinching his earlobes.  Terri would step in to change diapers and make the bottles and enforce naptime, but Grandpa was the best!  They would go on walks around the neighborhood—Henry in his custom rat rod wagon made especially for him—and get all the neighborhood gossip, of course.  They went on mail runs, and explored the trees and rocks and plants; Steve would do the countdown-1, 2, 3—then lift Henry all the way up into space and back down again for a kiss on the cheek (or a chomp on the nose during that teething phase…), but they always had fun.

Our grief in losing Steve is indescribable.  His presence would always fill the room, with talking or laughing or music or cussing or just movement (the man never could sit still).  He wore his heart on his sleeve and you never had to guess what kind of mood he was in at that moment, or how he was feeling, or what he was thinking (unless it was where we were going to eat, that is).  There is a giant empty space now, where there should be life and laughter and music and Steve being Steve.  Rest in peace, Tood.

Preceded in death by his parents, John and Catherine (Henry) Blair; and two brothers, Tony and Gary Blair.  Survivors include his wife, Terri (Condon) Blair; two children, Gavin Blair, Callie (Matthew) Barnes; a grandson, Henry Barnes; a sister, Debbie (Kurt) Gottschlich; as well as nieces and nephews that are too numerous to name but he loved each and every one of them.

A gathering of family and friends will be held on Tuesday June 7, 2022 from 4:00 until 7:00 P.M. at the Belton-Stroup Funeral Home, 422 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Rd., Fairborn.  A memorial service will begin at 7:00 P.M., Pastor James Wade Day officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Pawsitive Warriors Rescue, PO Box 8, New Carlisle, OH 45344 -or- The Humane Society of Greater Dayton, 1661 Nicholas Rd., Dayton, OH 45417.