Blair Lundy Furbush
Aug 19, 1936-Feb 27, 2017
Blair Lundy Furbush was born on August 19, 1936 in Sacramento, California. She was the pride and joy, and only child, of David and Mary Blair Lundy. She attended elementary school in Sacramento, high school at the Marlborough School in Los Angeles and then went to the University of California at Berkeley where she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. On her first day at Cal, Blair’s mother Mary met a dashing young man by the name of Donald Mace Furbush while waiting for Blair outside the Durant Hotel. She introduced Blair to Don and they were married on August 30, 1958. On September 3, 1959, they welcomed their first child, David Mace Furbush. On September 25, 1960, their daughter, Ann Blair was born. Blair and Don lived many happy years in Alameda and enjoyed taking ski trips with their family, spending time at Mimi’s house in Seascape and traveling to lots of exciting places.
Blair enjoyed needlepoint and there are Christmas Stockings hung annually on many mantels bearing her needlework. Of all her interests and hobbies, none was greater than her love of football. Don and Blair had season tickets to the Oakland Raider games for decades and they rarely missed a Cal Football game, in good times and in bad, in hot sun or pouring rain. Blair was famous for her elaborate tailgates, complete with tables, chairs, linens and floral centerpieces. Her guacamole and carrot cake were legendary. Between the Raiders and Cal she often hosted back to back tailgates on weekends, changing the linen colors to match each team. On the occasion of a dinner party that she was hosting for some of Don’s business associates she exclaimed that she is so much better at entertaining from the tailgate of her County Squire station wagon that she wished she could pull the car into the dining room for the dinner party.
Blair is the beloved Grammie of Mary Elizabeth, Andrew and Blair Ann Endsley. She was preceeded in death by her parents, David and Mary Blair Lundy, her beloved husband Don, son David and grand-daughter Claire. She is survived by her daughter Ann and sonin-law Dr. Stephen Endsley of Modesto. She is also survived by her grand-children Jack, Paige, Mike, Elizabeth and Webb Furbush, cousin Kimberly Wilson Smith (Tom) of Los Altos Hills and their children, Blair, Hilary and Wilson, Robert Blair, Mary Blair Neillo (Roger) and their children and grandchildren.
A Mass celebrating Blair’s life will be held on March 8, 2017 at 10:00 at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 1066 26th Street, Sacramento. A reception will follow at The Sutter Club, 1220 9th Street, Sacramento. Blair loved St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www. stjude.org and Cal Athletics, www.calbears.com. Go Bears!
Any donations can be made in Blair’s honor to: St. Jude’s Childrens Research Hospital (800) 805-5856, 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105 or Cal Athletics (510) 642-2427 Check to: UC Regents, Cal Athletic Development, 195 Hass Pavilion Berkeley, CA 94720.