Christopher David Blair

Christopher David Blair, 77, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on March 8, 2022. He was born in Seattle, Washington to the late Leon Blair and Mary Birchfield and was raised by his father and step-mother Edith (Witec) Blair, and his beloved late Aunt Sibil Leftwich.

Christopher was a worldly man known for his intelligence, wisdom, equinimity and kind heart. He wore many hats over the course of his life, from star student and horseman in his youth, to Naval Reservist, scuba instructor, lawyer and business executive in his adulthood, to father, grandfather and spiritual explorer.

Christopher was the beloved and respected eldest brother of six. As a child of a naval officer, Christopher lived abroad in his youth in France, Switzerland and Morocco, where he learned to speak several languages, including French, German. Arabic, and Spanish. Born into a family with Texas roots and a deep love for horses, Christopher became an excellent rider and horseman. At the tender age of 14, he was gifted two horses, Soucieux and Aisha, by the Princess of Morocco for helping the Moroccan government during a time of need.

Back stateside, Christopher attended the U.S. Naval Academy for one year before earning a degree in Economics from the University of Texas. He served in the Naval Reserves on the USS Ranger CV-61 for six years. He went on to earn a law degree from the University of Denver and would live the majority of his adult life in Colorado. His work as an attorney in the oil and gas industry eventually led him to become Vice President of Axem Resources, Inc. in Denver. He was ambitious, smart and respected as a lawyer.

Christopher was also a devoted father and family man. He and his wife of 12 years, Marie Commiskey, had three children for whom he cared greatly. He loved teaching his kids to ride, and never missed a track or cross-country event once his kids hit high school. He had only two hard-and-fast rules for his kids: (1) Always wear a bike helmet, and (2) Always be home for family dinner, a rule which reflected both his love of food and of togetherness.

Diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s at the age of 45, Christopher embraced the opportunity to be deeply involved in his kids’ lives. He lived with Parkinson’s for over 30 years, a feat that revealed his tenacity. His experience taught him that stress is a fact of life, but need not be a way of life, and that choice is left up to you. He always strove to look at things calmly and objectively, and to avoid drama. He was a great listener, offering up little nuggets of soft-spoken wisdom or advice when needed.

In 1995, Christopher met Miki Gabalac and their friendship blossomed into a lifelong love. They moved from Littleton, CO to Ridgway, CO in 2001 where Christopher joined the pond cleaning crew at Orvis Hot Springs and sang in the Ouray County Chorus. Christopher and Miki ran a law business together, Cow Creek Consulting. Their talents and temperaments complemented each other perfectly; Christopher had a way of calming even the most hot-headed of moments from his beloved. They loved to read and to discuss life, history, spirituality and philosophy with each other, watch old movies, and eat good food. They enjoyed a close, authentic, loving relationship for 25 years built on honesty and growth.

Christopher will be remembered fondly for his uncanny love of puns, his voracious appetite, and his signature fishing vest without which he never left home. He could make an entire batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies disappear overnight, and never said no to a treat or a meal. He loved music, from avant-garde jazz to classical to folk, rock ‘n roll, country and gospel. In his later years, a beautiful song would frequently bring him to tears.

And he will be remembered for his extraordinary life stories that he recorded in a memoir writing class in Paonia during his final years, where he made many dear friends.

Christopher is survived by his wife, Miki Gabalac; children, Lauren Blair (Yuri Chicovsky), Matthew (Lea) Blair and Kelsey (Theo) Mooney; grandchildren, George Oliver “Ollie” Chicovsky; Liza and Freya Blair; and Molly, Henry, and Abigale Mooney; step-children, Matthew (Larissa) Sloan and Beau (Carrie) Sloan; and step-grandchildren, Jerri, Quincy, Atticus and Peyton. He is also survived by his siblings Peter Blair, Michelle Blair Jones, Barbi Blair Stoudt and Matthew Blair, and stepmother Edith Blair.

Per his wishes, cremation has taken place. A celebration of life and potluck will be held from 2:30-5:30 p.m. May 7, 2022 at Hartwell Park in Ridgway.  Please join us to celebrate Christopher and share your thoughts and condolences by visiting his Tribute Wall above. 

If you would like to donate to a good cause in Christopher’s name, please consider one of these two programs.

Equine Empowerment- a local Ridgway Therapeutic and Adaptive riding program.

https://www.equine-empowerment.org/mission-2

The Bureau of Land Management Canon City Wild Horse Inmate Program (WHIP).They are one of five inmate horse training programs in the country that train mustangs and heal humans “while gaining meaningful and marketable experience they can use when they reenter the workforce.”

 https://www.blm.gov/get-involved/donations

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