Stewart "Leon" Stair Obituary (1935

Stewart Leon Stair, 87, a resident of the Gervais community passed away on June 23, 2022 in Salem. Leon or Lee as his family knows him was born on April 11, 1935 in Fairview, Montana. He was the oldest of four children born to Stewart and Esther (Mohrherr) Stair. His family farmed in North Dakota and they moved when he was a child to Turner, OR. Here is where Leon attended his primary and formal education graduating with the Class of 1953. Leon enlisted into the US Air Force and began a decades long service to his country. He worked in Radio Avionics and eventually became an instructor. He was honorably discharged in 1974 as a Master Sgt. He married, Donna Savage, in 1955 and they followed Leon's career in the US Air Force and had lived in throughout the United States and France. Upon his retirement they moved to Salem. They had three daughters; Debbie, Linda and Janet. They later divorced. He met his future wife, Jo Ann (Brown) Whitman, through a singles club in Salem. They soon began dating and they married on June 29, 1979 in Salem. They made their home in Salem until 1992 when they moved to Leon's family farm in Gervais, OR. Jo Ann brought three more children to the family, Glynis, Tina and Cathleen. Following his retirement from the military Leon began a career in farming. He enjoyed raising pigs, cattle and everything that came with caring for the farm. He was inventive and made his own machinery with recycled metals and parts he would glean for free. No piece of machinery was too worn out that Leon could fix and get to operate. His grandchildren, who helped on the farm, cherished the time spent working with Leon. Leon was a motorcycle enthusiast and would often travel cross country to visit his relatives in the Dakotas. He liked to shop for bargains at the local swap meets, flea markets and garage sales. Leon enjoyed tackling home improvement projects, fixing old cars and trucks and had a large collection of "Dad jokes" and was a wonderful story teller. Leon had a big heart and a gentle personality, he loved spending time his whole family whom he was very close to. He was also his grandchildren's #1 fan when it came to their activities. He is preceded in death by his parents, a son-in-law, Dick Leslie and a step daughter, Tina Whitman. He is survived by his loving wife, JoAnn Stair, three daughters: Debbie Leslie of Dallas, Linda Stair of Salem, Janet Monk of Salem, two step children: Glynis Whitman and her husband Keith Klyver both of Salem, Cathleen and Jeff Ross of Salem three siblings: Camilla Stair, Doug Stair and his wife: Karen, Don Stair and his wife: Sue, six grandchildren, six great grandchildren