Donald Joseph "Donnie" Blair (69) of Jewett, formerly of Shumway

Donald (Donnie) Joseph Blair, 69, of Jewett, formerly of Shumway, IL passed away on Friday, December 20, 2024 at HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham from congestive heart failure.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 24, 2024 at Jewett Community Church, with burial to follow at Arborcrest Memorial Park in Effingham. Visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, December 23, 2024 at Johnson Funeral Home in Effingham. Memorials may be made to Celebrate Recovery, Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firefighter’s Fund or to the family. Online condolences may be shared by clicking here.

Donnie was born on November 2, 1955, at St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham, the son of Clarence and Beulah (Shadwell) Blair of Shumway. He married Tonya Boerngen on November 19, 1983. They are the parents to four children. Donnie attended Beecher City High School, after which he worked as a mechanic and volunteered as the chief for the Shumway Fire Protection District. Donnie was hugely responsible for securing signatures to create the SFPD. In 1990, Donnie was hired on as a full-time fireman for the City of Effingham Fire Department. Throughout his 21 years for the EFD, he was promoted from fireman to Lieutenant and retired as Captain in 2011. Donnie was a respected Firefighter II Academy Instructor for many years, and in his own words, “taught young firefighters to become old firefighters.” Donnie was also a field instructor for the Illinois Fire Service Institute. He taught hundreds of students in well over a decade. In his retirement, Donnie was an avid reader, a big Green Bay Packers fan, and enjoyed traveling with Tonya in their motorhome. His favorite state to stay in was Arizona.

He is survived by his wife, Tonya Blair of Jewett; children, Travis (Gena) Blair of Altamont, April (Corey) Higgs of Mason, Corey (Mikayla) Blair of Toledo, and Ashley (Tony Button) Blair of Effingham; grandchildren: Alexandra (Nick) Roley of Beecher City; Dustin, Dawson (Hayley), Dalton, Delainee, and Dayton Higgs all of Mason; JJ, Cooper, and Gwenny Gipp all of Toledo; great-grandchildren, Gunner, Gatlin, Dusty Mae, Liza Jane, and Canyon Higgs; father-in-law, James Boerngen; sister-in-law, Tamara (John) Root; nieces, Kelsey (Tyler) Koester and Madison (Paul) Jones; and cousins, Cindy Norton and Christy Shadwell.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Beulah Blair; mother-in-law, Helen Boerngen; sister-in-law, Penny Boerngen; brother-in-law, Doug Boerngen; and grandson, Cody Blair.