Blair Lewis Wildermuth

Blair L. Wildermuth, 93, passed away peacefully in his sleep before midnight, December 11, 2019, with his children at his side. He had been residing at the House of Hope in Wichita Falls, TX, where he was attended by many loving healthcare workers who had grown accustomed to his smiles and good humor over the past year, and were also with him in his final hours.

Blair was born on July 30, 1926, in Plano, Illinois, to Doris and Charles Wildermuth. His wife of almost 70 years, Marian, preceded him in death on February 11, 2018 He also had a brother Rex and sister Helene Coleman (husband Clark) preceed him in death.

Blair’s earliest years were on the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where his father taught school until his untimely death. Leaving 4 young kids to Doris to raise during the Depression, she returned to family in Plano, IL. Upon graduating at an early age, Blair attended Graceland University for one semester before entering the Navy to fight in WWII at the age of 17, serving as radioman on a Naval aircraft repair ship in the Pacific theatre. After the war, Blair completed his BS in Mechanical Engineering at Marquette University and married Marian in Milwaukee.

Blair was dedicated to his family, faith, and his engineering career, moving with each new opportunity: Detroit, Kansas City, Colorado Springs, D.C. metro, Norman (OK), New York City, and retiring back to Independence. His early career was with Air Defense Command in the construction of NORAD and the Defense Early Warning System. He then pursued a career with the US Postal Service in D.C., moved on to Norman where he launched the nationwide training facilities at the University of Oklahoma, and eventually retired as part of senior management in building construction and management in NYC. Heavy travel was a normal part of Blair’s career, yet during mid-life, Blair found the time to attend the part-time graduate Engineering program at OU and received his masters degree, often musing that he might teach someday.

After retiring to Independence, Blair served as a member and Chair of the Public Utilities Advisory Board of Independence for over 30 years, receiving a City Proclamation from the Mayor last year. He also enjoyed the Optimist Club, pursued entrepreneurial efforts including ownership in multiple sport’s fan franchise stores, and was a life member of the Society of Professional Engineers.

As a young adult, Blair was called to be an Elder in the Community of Christ Church priesthood (previously named the RLDS Church), and continued service throughout his life in varying roles, serving as pastor several times, district leadership callings, teaching, and providing ministry to others as High Priest. It wasn’t unusual for him to be studying or working late hours in the evening on a sermon, and he looked forward to participating in the church’s World Conferences in Independence, regardless of where he lived.

Blair loved to be on the golf course with friends (hole-in-ones at ages 16 and 61), travel at any chance, and family time… especially Marian’s cooking! He also enjoyed Scouting leadership roles and coaching during his children’s youth.

We will all miss Dad’s warm smile, temperance, and disposition, plus the stories and humor from another member of The Greatest Generation.

Blair is survived by his daughter JoLynn (Raymond) Lunger and son Mark (Claire Huang) Wildermuth, grandchildren Kyle Lunger and Kristin (Justin) Blair, great grandchildren Ava-Blair, Josephine, and Harlow, sister Elsa Jean (Russell) Kominitsky, niece Janis (John) Davis, nephew Robert Bandlow, great nieces JoBeth (Jason) Penberthy, Lindy Graham, Lori Goodpasture and great nephew Brett Bandlow, nieces and nephew Lisa, Jocelyn, & Clark Coleman.

A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, January 15th, at 1:00 PM, at the Good Shepherd Community of Christ Church, 4341 Blue Ridge Blvd., Kansas City, MO. Interment with military honors will follow the service at Mound Grove Cemetery. Relatives and friends are kindly invited. Visiting Hours at the Speaks Funeral home, 18020 E. 39th Street, Independence, MO, on Tuesday the 14th, 5-7 PM.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the “Wildermuth Asian - Technology Endowed Scholarship”, Graceland University Office of Development, 1 University Place, Lamoni, IA, 50140 http://csit.graceland.edu/cs/wil_scholarship.php or Outreach International, 112 W.18th Street, Kansas City, MO, 64108 https://outreach-international.org