Henry Duane Blair

Dr. Henry Duane Blair, Atlanta general surgeon, community leader and philanthropist, connoisseur of food and wine, champion rose grower, and animal lover died on August 19, 2015 at the age of 85. Duane was born in Atlanta, GA at the beginning of the Great Depression and moved to the small-town Clarkston at age eleven. His parents, Julia Kate and Marvin Lee, worked for Southern Railway and their family home sat across from the rail line. They planted the land behind and around the house with vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and flowers which not only provided sustenance for the table but taught Duane and his younger brother Warner and sister Carole the skills and values their parents had learned on central Georgia farms. Duane might have followed in his father's footsteps to become a railway man had he not met the love of his life, Emy Evans, and through her his future father in law, Dr. Rufus Evans whose mentorship gave Duane's studies new purpose toward a career in medicine. Duane met Emy in high school while the two waited for the streetcar in Decatur. Some three years after that first introduction their courtship began seriously. His keen intellect and generous spirit perfectly matched Emy's and so they married in 1952 during his junior year of medical school at Emory University. The lean years during and just after medical school proved to be some of their best. They lived in Beaufort, SC while Duane served as a Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy Medical Corp. Young married life away from their hometown and the grueling time commitment of a surgeon in training sealed their devotion to one another. On their return to Decatur in 1961 Emy managed Duane's medical practice and in every way has been his equal partner in life, love, and friendship for over sixty-three years. During the forty-two years Duane practiced medicine in DeKalb county he touched the lives of more than 5000 patients directly, and many more through his leadership in the community. He has served as DeKalb Medical Center's Chief of Surgery and Chief of Staff and chaired the hospital board of directors as a trustee. His guidance as a member of the DeKalb County Board of Health and county hospital authority helped create one of the largest health systems in Metro Atlanta and Georgia. But it's the contact with patients he missed most after his retirement in 2003. As one of the devoted old-guard of the medical arts he said, A lot of good people passed through my office doors, noting that the worst part of his career was having to quit it. He cared about and remembered his patients with real affection and enjoyed hearing from them long after their recovery. Duane's friends and family will remember his generosity and good humor, his passion for food and wine and for entertaining us in his home. He continued to put in a big garden nearly every year of his life and shared its bounty with us. We also benefited from the culinary skills he gained through travels and classes and books, and his expertise as a wine connoisseur with an extensive cellar. He and Emy hosted celebrations that became legendary for their hospitality: engagements, showers, birthdays, graduations, holidays, reunions, and fundraisers. Duane championed education as a life long pursuit, never ceasing to engage his mind in something new especially if it also involved the work of his hands. Over the years he pursued many interests: bread making to wine brewing, history and Jazz, all manner of plants from orchids to edible mushrooms to Japanese Maples. Most recently his attention had turned to roses. Big pots of floribundas and hybrid teas filled the backyard tennis court by the dozens. His efforts quickly garnered exhibition awards for from the Atlanta Rose Society. But this was always his way: to learn deeply, with passion, and toward mastery. His example and influence on the education of his nieces and nephews is remembered with gratitude. His and Emy's financial contributions to the institutions that mattered most to them are a lasting legacy for future generations. Duane is survived by his beloved Emy, their faithful dog Sammy, and the cats that warmed his lap; his brother and best friend Warner Blair with whom he shared a love of fishing and his sister Carole Fortenberry who followed him into medicine, his sister-in-law Jean and brother-in-law Elmo; nieces Pam, Kim, Karen, Nan, and Sally and nephews Duane and Bill Jr, along with their spouses and children. The lost presence of him in all our lives cannot be measured or expressed, but his memory guides us like the bright light he remains. A Memorial Service will be held at 3:30 on Saturday August 22 at AS Turner and Sons Funeral Home in Decatur, GA with a reception to follow the service. Family will accept visitors from 2:30 until 3:30 on Saturday. Tributes or donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the DeKalb Medical Foundation at dekalbmedical.org/foundation or by calling 404.501.5956.


Funeral Home:
A.S. Turner
2773 N. Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033