Robert Blair, Jr.

Robert “Bobby” or “Bob” Blair, Jr. was born on January 21, 1935, in Loudon, Tennessee, the fourth child and first son of Robert Sr. and Margaret Lucille Dobson Blair.

Bob attended Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary School for eight years. Due to segregation, he was not permitted to attend the high school just three miles from his home. Instead, he commuted thirteen miles each day by Trailways bus to High Point High School in Sweetwater, Tennessee.

While in high school, Bob excelled in athletics—playing basketball, baseball, and football—and served as the quarterback of his football team.

After graduation, Bob enlisted in the United States Navy, where he continued to shine as a basketball player and earned several athletic honors while stationed in San Diego, California. It was there that he met the love of his life, Mary Josephine “Jo” Jeffries. Though Jo was initially unimpressed, Bob’s charm and persistence eventually won her over. They married on July 16, 1960, and together raised four children: Regina, Eric, Brigid, and Vanessa.

Bob dedicated 31 years of his professional life to public service, working for the U.S. Census Bureau for eight years and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for 23 years. He retired in 1991. In retirement, Bob joined Mary Jo as her partner in an art business named Personal Preference Incorporated. Together, they built a successful enterprise and rose to the rank of Regional Managers. Everything Bob did, he approached with a winning mindset.

His passion for mentorship led him to coaching, beginning with the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) League at St. Margaret’s Catholic School in Seat Pleasant, Maryland. In 1985, he became the “emergency” girls’ basketball coach at Largo Senior High School—a role he accepted simply because no one else would. It turned out to be a perfect fit. Over the next 20 years, Coach Blair built an extraordinary legacy and set the standard for how the game should be respected in Prince George’s County. He finished his coaching career with an overall record of 344 wins and 99 losses—a 77% winning percentage.

Among his many accomplishments were several county championships and the 1997 Maryland State Girls 4A Championship title. In 2019, he was inducted into the Largo High School Athletics Hall of Fame. Impressively, 90% of his high school players went on to play basketball in college. His coaching philosophy was rooted in the words of legendary UCLA coach John Wooden: “The only reward for hard work is hard work.”

Bob’s deep and enduring faith was formed in his early years at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Loudon, where he attended Sunday school and participated in church events. At the age of twelve, after portraying Jesus in an Easter play, he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. Before marrying Mary Jo, he converted to Catholicism in 1960 and continued to live out his faith through daily Bible reading and offering spiritual encouragement to his family. One of his favorite scriptures was Galatians 6:9: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (NIV).

In his free time, Bob enjoyed bowling, teaching his grandchildren how to shoot free throws, playing horseshoes, and card games like bid whist, spades, and tonk. In his later years, he could often be found in his favorite chair doing crossword puzzles, reading his Bible, or working on his autobiography. Bob loved meaningful conversation—he was quick to share wisdom, tell a joke, offer a life lesson, or give a comforting hug. His warm and compassionate presence made those around him feel seen, heard, and valued. He believed deeply in the dignity of every person and lived by the principle that God is no respecter of persons. Bob often said that the most important thing in life, as taught by his father, was to help everyone you come in contact with become a better person.

Bob was a devoted, supportive, and loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Mary Jo; his children Regina, Eric, Brigid, and Vanessa (Eric); grandchildren Sophia, Samantha, Blair, Bryce, Coby, and Eijah; siblings Joyce Blair Fields and Stanley H. Blair (Harriel); in-laws Cora Ann Blair, David Gordon Jeffries (Lorraine), Cynthia Jeffries, Diane Jeffries Smith (Peter), and Bernice Jeffries Perkins; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, former players, and lifelong friends—including childhood friend James “Syrup Daddy” Brown, who affectionately called him “Lash Larue.”

He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Margaret Blair, Sr.; and siblings Bettye Blair Woods, Margie Blair Booker, Sue Ann Blair Ryan, Emma Lee Blair Mapp, and William H. Blair, Sr.

Robert Blair, Jr. will be deeply missed, but his legacy lives on in the lives of all who were blessed to know and love him.

Excerpts from two of Dads favorite poems
he quoted to us often by..

Robert Frost

“The Road Not Taken”

“Two roads diverged in a wood and
I – I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.”

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
and miles to go before I sleep.
And miles to go before I sleep.”

Rest in eternity, Dad