This In Remembrance section lists WSBA members by Bar number and date of death. The list is not complete and contains only those notices of which the WSBA has learned through correspondence from members. When available, obituaries are linked below.
Please email notices and requests to link obituaries to wabarnews@wsba.org.
WSBA President 1998-99
M. Wayne Blair
#374, 6/3/2022
M. Wayne Blair was born and raised in Spokane. He attended Lewis & Clark High School and went on to earn electrical engineering and law degrees from the University of Washington. He met his wife, Anne, at college, and at the time of his passing, they had been married for 55 years. Blair was devoted to his family, which included a close-knit group of aunts, uncles, and cousins, dozens of nieces and nephews, and 10 grandchildren.
Blair served in the Air Force JAG Corps in Panama and in Little Rock, Arkansas. When he and Anne moved back to Seattle, Blair joined the law firm of Montgomery, Purdue, Blankenship, and Austin. He practiced law there for more than 40 years, focusing on real estate and construction law. Toward the later years of his career, Blair also served as a mediator and arbitrator, both with the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and with Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS). In 1977, he and his wife moved to Bainbridge Island.
Blair dedicated a large portion of his professional life to working to secure improved funding for Washington’s courts and public defenders and to developing alternatives to court, helping craft many of Washington’s arbitration and mediation statutes. He was active in the King County and Washington State Bar Associations, and served as KCBA president in 1987-88 and WSBA president in 1998-99.
Blair was known for his gentle leadership, his keen mind, his love of family, and his service to others. He died at the age of 79 on June 3, 2022, following a brief illness. His wife, Anne, and their three children, Jessica, Chris, and Jeff, were able to be with him as he peacefully caught his “last ferry boat home.”
ONLINE > Find the full obituary, tribute wall, and memorial service details at www.cookfamilyfuneralhome.com.
- Ralph Anderson, #6707, 5/3/2021
- Laurie Andrijeski, #39966, 6/9/2021
- Beth Aney, #34980, 8/10/2021
- David Arnesen, #8078, 12/11/2021
- Douglas Bain, 13076, 1/18/2020
- M. Wayne Blair, #374, 6/3/2022
- Charles Branson, #196, 11/19/2019
- John Cathey, #4607, 4/6/2022
- Beryl Cochran, #16895, 10/4/2021
- Wyman Dobson, #587, 3/24/2022
- Anthony Frey, #27120, 1/7/2021
- Suzanna Graham, #22212, 10/20/2021
- John Hartley, #27996, 11/2/2021
- Brett Henson, #50412, 5/28/2021
- Mark Hurdelbrink, #25223, 2/28/2022
- Gregory Jones, #28617, 9/14/2021
- Kelly Kenn, #32250, 4/27/2022
- Michael Korpi, #12711, 3/3/2021
- Nichole Lovrich, #42305, 6/28/2021
- Tara Neda, #48855, 4/18/2021
- Jeffrey Rupert, #31445, 4/23/2022
- Andrew Sargent, #25501, 4/1/2021
- Charles Secrest, #3265, 8/31/2021
- Laura Sokey, #33658, 5/22/2022
- Hon. David Steiner, #14535, 11/2/2021
- Katherine Stolz, #9576, 10/29/2021
- Maria Torres, #34587, 4/21/2021
- Paul Weisser, #17918, 10/5/2021
- Monte Wolff, #12149, 4/20/2021