Donna Ruth Blair's Obituary
Donna Ruth (Bowman) Blair, one day shy of 87, passed away on Sunday, July 21, 2019, in Saint Petersburg, Florida surrounded by her family. She was born in Carthage, Missouri, to Frank Thomas Bowman and Addie “Marie” Greene.
As a young girl, she loved to jitterbug, roller skate, and paint ceramics. She spent many years in Oklahoma, however, she ultimately moved to St. Petersburg, Florida with her husband, Art, where she had lived for the past 31 years. Known as “Granny”, she enjoyed being around her grandchildren whenever possible. She had a throw pillow that said, “If I knew grandchildren were this fun, I would have had them first”. She enjoyed listening to audiobooks, was an avid Rays Baseball fan, loved attending concerts, traveling to Branson, watching Jeopardy, sharing stories from her past with anyone willing to listen and before losing her eyesight, she played Zelda, Tetris, and Bubble Bobble on her Nintendo. For many years, she worked at the Woodlawn Plaza Bingo Hall where she made many friends. Donna was extremely grateful for the unconditional love and care she received from her daughter and son-in-law over the past 12 years while living with them after her husband passed. She loved reminiscing over the phone with her niece Donna Jean, loved receiving surprise visits from her nephew Britt, and loved watching her niece Becky’s family grow. Recently, she grew fond of building her family tree online and connecting with extended family members who were connected through Ancestry.com.
Donna was predeceased by her loving husband, Arthur Blair, her beloved son, Maurice “Morry” Barnes, her brother, Franklin Thomas Bowman (and Elisabeth), her half-brother Orville Max Bowman, and step-children, Joyce Moon and Allen Blair. She is survived by her sister, Norma Pate (Carmen), daughter, Deborah Reidy (William), step-daughter, Janet (Tye) Knoernschild, grandchildren: Isaac (Sasha) Church, Tony Blair, Shauna (Hans) Lehr, Marsha (Matthew) Combs, Katie (Dan) Balderston, Rebekah (Danny) Miller, Allison (Jeffrey) Matejka, Stacy Knoernschild, and Lauren (Marcus) Craig, along with her great-grandchildren: Aiden, Avery, Jefferson, Joseph and William. She also leaves behind nieces and nephews, and many other family and friends that she loved so dearly.
In lieu of flowers, Donna would want you to root for the Tampa Bay Rays.
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