Blair died at a time of his choosing with his wife and best friend Ann and son Jaime at his side. In May, Blair and Ann’s last of so many adventures was a long-planned trip to central Europe. In June, Blair was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. In early August, Blair, Ann and the 3J’s - their children Janet, Jaime and Jeffrey - spent a magical week together at Ridgeview, their farm in Mulmur, relaxing, doing projects, laughing and reminiscing.
Ann and Blair were married 49 years - told by friends that they must meet because of their similar interests in the outdoors. What a wonderful life they have had together, with many ski trips, lengthy family canoe adventures, hiking, biking, tennis and travelling.
Blair’s joy and focus in life was his and Ann’s three children, Janet (Paul Schmidt), Jaime (Rachel) and Jeffrey (Natalie Stafl) and grandchildren, Austin and Carter Schmidt of Jasper, Alta., Kylie and Emma Ferguson of Toronto, Ont., and Henry Ferguson Stafl and his soon-to-be sister of Revelstoke, B.C., plus Blair’s granddogs, Kootenay and Koda. He was always consulting his map collection and planning the Ferguson clan’s next adventure. Blair’s sister, Gail Johnson (Ross) and family and Ann’s brother, Rob Woodrooffe (Fran) and family, have memories of many happy times together.
Blair was born in Bethesda, Maryland, on June 15, 1945, where his parents were stationed at the end of WWII. Blair was raised in Oakville attending Old Central Public School and Oakville Trafalgar High School. He credited his success in life to his mother, Dorothy Ferguson.
Westward-bound, Blair obtained his B.Sc. and M.D. from the University of Alberta (Edmonton), then interned in Vancouver. Returning to Oakville in 1973, Blair met Ann, decided to stay and joined the Trafalgar Medical Clinic as a family physician. Over 20 years in his role as a family physician, Blair was also involved with continuing medical education as Assistant Clinical Professor at McMaster University’s Department of Family Medicine.
New opportunities beckoned. Blair travelled extensively for three years as a participant at many international medical conferences while employed as a medical advisor in the pharmaceutical industry. Blair then spent 10 years as Associate Director of Education at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. In retirement, Blair continued with his love of medicine, assisting in general surgery. In 2015, Blair was awarded the Fellowship designation (FCFP) in his professional body, The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).
A true adventurer with boundless energy and enthusiasm, Blair pursued his favourite pastimes of canoeing the north, skiing, hiking, biking, racquet sports and exploring the road not taken. He was in his element working on his farm property in the Mulmur Hills. Blair specialised in making to-do lists for when his children visited, and took great joy and satisfaction in completing the tasks with them.
He was kind, conscientious, helpful, knowledgeable and loved to learn. Blair was appreciated for his engaging personality, ready smile and laughter with an interesting story to tell. He was an active, contributing member of the Mansfield Ski Club, the Oakville Club and the Mulmur Hills Racquet Club. Some of his special places included Killarney Provincial Park, the Niagara Escarpment and Bruce Trail and the wind-swept islands of Georgian Bay.
Anyone wishing to honour Blair’s memory may do so to the Bruce Trail Conservancy or the hospital of your choice.