Leonard Arthur BLAIR

Born

17 November 1917 , Southbridge, Massachusetts, USA

Died

6 May 2006 , Hudson, Massachusetts, USA

Age: 88

Parents & Family of Leonard Arthur BLAIR

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Parents

Edward Charles BLAIR (BLAIS)Rose Alma LIVERNOIS

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Born: 17 November 1917 in Southbridge, Massachusetts, USA

Father: Edward Charles BLAIR (BLAIS)

Mother: Rose Alma LIVERNOIS

Paternal grandparents: Joseph BLAIS , Etychien LUZUETTE

Maternal grandparents: Octave LIVERNOIS , Josephine BOUDREAU (BEAUDREAU)

Leonard Arthur was a soldier in World War II.
Tracing Ancestors Through Military Service Records: Unveiling Family Heroes

Spouse(s)/Partner(s) and Child(ren):

Leonard Arthur married Rachel Elizabeth RAPANAULT abt. 1943 in Southbridge, Massachusetts, USA . The couple had (at least) 1 child.
Rachel Elizabeth RAPANAULT was born 19 February 1919 in Southbridge, Massachusetts, USA . Rachel Elizabeth died 13 April 2008 in Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA . Rachel Elizabeth was the child of Joseph Napoleon RAPANAULT and Elizabeth Marie RENAUD.

Leonard Arthur BLAIR died 6 May 2006 in Hudson, Massachusetts, USA .
Details of the family tree of Leonard appear below.

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Gifts & Books Connected to This Family

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Operation Underworld: How the Mafia and U.S. Government Teamed Up to Win World War II

World War II: The Definitive Visual History from Blitzkrieg to the Atom Bomb

Honoring WWII Heroes Ceramic Coffee Mug – World War II Veteran Tribute Gift

Crafted from durable ceramic, this mug is perfect for morning coffee, evening tea, or thoughtful reflection. The dignified 'Honoring WWII Heroes' caption makes it an especially meaningful gift for Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, or as a keepsake for those with a personal connection to World War II history.

Spouse & Children of Leonard Arthur BLAIR

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Leonard Arthur BLAIR married

Rachel Elizabeth RAPANAULT
Marriage date: abt. 1943
Marriage place: Southbridge, Massachusetts, USA
Source: ancestry.com

Rachel Elizabeth RAPANAULT was the child of Joseph Napoleon RAPANAULT and Elizabeth Marie RENAUD

Marriage notes:

Name: Leonard Arthur Blair

Marriage Year: 1943

Marriage Place: Southbridge, Massachusetts, USA

Volume Number: 80

Page Number: 484

Index Volume Number: 128

Reference Number: F63.M36 v.128

Name: Rachel Elizabeth Rapanault

Marriage Year: 1943

Marriage Place: Southbrldge, Massachusetts, USA

Volume Number: 80

Page Number: 484

Index Volume Number: 137

Reference Number: F63.M36 v.137

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Marriage Index, 1901-1955 and 1966-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

Original data: Department of Public Health, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. Massachusetts Vital Records Index to Marriages [1916–1970]. Volumes 76–166, 192– 207. Facsimile edition. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.

Children of Leonard Arthur BLAIR and Rachel Elizabeth RAPANAULT

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Postcards and Memories of Southbridge, Massachusetts, USA (Globe) (Lensdale) (Saundersdale) (Shuttleville)

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Birth — 1917
17 November 1917
Southbridge, Massachusetts, USA

1918 - March 19 – The United States Congress establishes time zones and approves daylight saving time

1919 - June 4 – Women's rights: The United States Congress approves the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which would guarantee suffrage to women, and sends it to the U.S. states for ratification

1920 - Southbridge, Massachusetts

Name: Leonore A Blair
Age: 2
Birth Year: abt 1918
BirthPlace: Massachusetts
Home in 1920: Southbridge, Worcester, Massachusetts
Street: Everette
Residence Date: 1920
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Son
Marital Status: Single
Father's Name: Edward C Blair
Father's BirthPlace: Rhode Island
Mother's Name: Rosalma Blair
Mother's BirthPlace: Massachusetts
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members Age Relationship
Edward C Blair
25 Head
Rosalma Blair
26 Wife
Leonore A Blair 2 Son

Source / record details
1920 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
Exploring the U.S. Census: Your Guide to America’s Data

1920 - January 17 - Prohibition goes into effect on January 17, 1920, under the provisions of the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution

1921 - Warren G. Harding becomes President of the United States

1921 - Charles Strite of Minnesota patents the pop-up toaster.

1923 to 1927 - Television is invented (Vladimir Kosma Zworykin (Russia), Philo Taylor Farnsworth (United States))

1923 - Calvin Coolidge becomes President of the United States

1927 - The aerosol can is invented (Erik Rotheim, Norway)

1927 - April 7 – Bell Telephone Co. transmits an image of Herbert Hoover (then the Secretary of Commerce), which becomes the first successful long distance demonstration of television

1928 - Sliced bread (bread slicing machine) is invented by Otto Frederick Rohwedder (United States)

1929 - Herbert Hoover becomes President of the United States

1929 - October 29 - Black Tuesday - Stock market crash - The Great Depression Begins - It lasted until 1941 (WW2)

1930 - Southbridge, Massachusetts

Name: Leonard Blair
Birth Year: abt 1918
Gender: Male
Race: White
Age in 1930: 12
BirthPlace: Massachusetts
Marital Status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Nephew
Home in 1930: Southbridge, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
Map of Home: Southbridge, Worcester, Massachusetts
Street Address: Coombs St
House Number: 46
Dwelling Number: 23
Family Number: 48
Attended School: Yes
Able to Read and Write: Yes
Father's BirthPlace: Rhode Island
Mother's BirthPlace: Massachusetts
Household Members Age Relationship
Arthur Blair
39 Head
Gertrude Blair
47 Wife
Marguerte Blair
16 Daughter
Edward Blair
36 Brother
Leonard Blair 12 Nephew
Mary Ellen Delaney
89 Mother-in-law

Source / record details
1930 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
Exploring the U.S. Census: Your Guide to America’s Data

1930 - Scotch tape is invented (Richard Drew (3M), United States)

In 1930, on February 18, Pluto was discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, marking a significant milestone in the study of our solar system.

1931 - The paper towel is invented (Arthur Scott, United States)

1931 - March 3 – The Star-Spangled Banner is adopted as the United States National anthem.

1933 - Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes President of the United States

1933 - December 5 – The 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution is passed, repealing Prohibition

1934 - The metal beverage can is invented (American Can Co., United States)

1935 - The snowmobile was invented by Joseph Bombardier (Quebec, Canada)

1935 - August 14 – United States President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act into law

1938 - The ballpoint pen is invented (Lazlo Biro, Hungary)

1938-1944 - Sunscreen is invented (Franz Greiter, Switzerland and Benjamin Green, United States)

1938 - October 27 - Du Pont announces a name for its new synthetic yarn: nylon.

1940 Southbridge, Worcester, Massachusetts

Name: Leonard Blair
titles & terms:
event: Census
Event Year: 1940
Event Place: Southbridge Town, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Marital Status: Single
Race (Original):
race (standardized): White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original):
relationship to head of household (standardized): Stepson
birthPlace: Massachusetts
estimated Birth Year: 1918
residence in 1935: Same House
enumeration district number: 14-260
family number: 180
Sheet Number and Letter: 10A
Line Number: 25
nara publication number: T627
nara roll number: 1654
Digital Folder Number: 005460926
Image Number: 00411
Household Gender Age Birthplace
head Edward Blair M 46 Rhode Island
wife Minnie Blair F 46 Connecticut
stepson Leonard Blair M 22 Massachusetts
sister-in-law Ellen Weberg F 42 Connecticut

Source / record details
1940 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
Exploring the U.S. Census: Your Guide to America’s Data

1940 - April - 1st electron microscope demonstrated (RCA), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1941 - December 8 - (the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor) United States declares war on Japan (WW2)

1944 Army Enlistment

Name: Leonard A Blair
name (original): Leonard A Blair
event: Military Service
Event Date: 01 Mar 1944
term of enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
Event Place: Ft Devens, Massachusetts, United States
Residence:
Race: White
citizenship: citizen
Birth Year: 1917
birthPlace: MASSACHUSETTS
education: 4 years of high school
civilian Occupation: Foremen, manufacturing
Marital Status: Single, without dependents
rank: Private
army branch: No branch assignment
army component: Selectees (Enlisted Men)
source: Civil Life
serial number: 31452952
nara publication title: Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946
arc identifier: 1263923
card, box and reel number: 04433.165

'United States, World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946,' index, FamilySearch (familysearch.org/ pal:/ MM9.1.1/ KMNB-RXC : accessed

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Source / record details
World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
Against All Odds: A True Story of Ultimate Courage and Survival in World War II

1944 - D-Day, which occurred on June 6, 1944, was a pivotal World War II operation where Allied forces launched a massive invasion on the beaches of Normandy, France. Known as Operation Overlord, it involved over 156,000 troops from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and other Allied nations. The operation aimed to liberate Western Europe from Nazi German control. The landings marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany, leading to the eventual Allied victory in Europe.

1945 - The atomic bomb is invented (J. Robert Oppenheimer, et al., United States)

The microwave oven was invented accidentally in 1945 by Percy Spencer, a Raytheon engineer. While testing a magnetron, he noticed microwaves melted a candy bar in his pocket. Experimenting further, he discovered microwaves could cook food quickly. Raytheon patented the process, and by 1947, they built the first commercial microwave oven, called the 'Radarange.' Initially used in commercial settings, microwaves becomes affordable for home use by the 1960s and 1970s, revolutionizing cooking.

1945 - Harry S. Truman becomes President of the United States

1945 - On September 2, 1945, World War II officially ended with the formal surrender of Japan. The surrender ceremony took place aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, where Japanese officials signed the Instrument of Surrender in the presence of Allied representatives, including General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz.

1948 - Velcro is invented (George de Mestral, Switzerland)

1950 - June 25 - Korean War begins when North Korean forces invade South Korea.

1953 - Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes President of the United States

1953 - On July 27, 1953, the Korean War ended with the signing of an armistice agreement at Panmunjom. This ceasefire halted the conflict between North Korea, supported by China and the Soviet Union, and South Korea, backed by United Nations forces primarily from the United States. The agreement established the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) near the 38th parallel, effectively maintaining the pre-war boundary and creating a buffer zone between the two Koreas.

1961 - John F. Kennedy becomes President of the United States

1961 - Vietnam War officially begins with 900 military advisors landing in Saigon.

1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis was a tense 13-day standoff in October 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union over the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the U.S. coast. The crisis is considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war. It began when American spy planes discovered the missiles, leading to a U.S. naval blockade of Cuba and intense negotiations. The crisis ended when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba and secretly agreeing to remove American missiles from Turkey.

1963 - I Have a Dream Speech - Martin Luther King's Address at March on Washington August 28, 1963.

In 1963, on November 22, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza. The assassination shocked the nation and the world, leading to widespread mourning and a period of intense national introspection. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States shortly after Kennedy's death. The assassination sparked numerous conspiracy theories and investigations, with the Warren Commission ultimately concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination. Kennedy's death had a profound impact on American politics and society, marking the end of an era often referred to as 'Camelot.'

1968 - The ATM is invented (Don Wetzel, United States)

1969 - Richard M. Nixon becomes President of the United States

1969 - July 20 - Apollo 11 - Man lands on the moon

June 17, 1972 – August 9, 1974 - Watergate Scandal began with the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., in 1972. Members of President Richard Nixon's administration attempted to cover up their involvement. The scandal led to the discovery of multiple abuses of power by the Nixon administration, the resignation of President Nixon in 1974, and the indictment of several administration officials.

1973 - January 22 - Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 and Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179: The U.S. Supreme Court declares that the Constitution protects women’s right to terminate an early pregnancy, thus making abortion legal in the U.S.

1973 - March 29 - The last United States soldier leaves Vietnam

The cell phone was invented by Martin Cooper of Motorola. On April 3, 1973, he made the first handheld mobile phone call with the Motorola DynaTAC. This device weighed 2.5 pounds and was 10 inches long, offering 30 minutes of talk time and requiring 10 hours to charge. The first commercial cell phone was released in 1983, revolutionizing communication and leading to the modern smartphones we use today.

1974 - Gerald R. Ford becomes President of the United States after the resignation of Richard Nixon.

1977 - Jimmy Carter becomes President of the United States

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State occurred on May 18, triggered by a 5.1 magnitude earthquake. It caused the largest landslide in recorded history, followed by a massive lateral blast. The eruption killed 57 people, destroyed 250 homes, and spread ash across the U.S.

1981 - Ronald Reagan becomes President of the United States

1981 - June 5 - First reported case of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)

1982 - The camcorder is invented (Sony Corp., Japan)

1983 - The laptop computer is invented (Radio Shack Corp., United States)

1986 - January 28 - Space Shuttle Challenger accident - The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when the shuttle broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members.

1989 - The World Wide Web is invented at CERN (Tim Berners-Lee, UK)

1989 - George H. W. Bush becomes President of the United States

1993 - William J. Clinton becomes President of the United States

2001 - George W. Bush becomes President of the United States

2001 - September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Coordinated terrorist attacks by the extremist group al-Qaeda on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, leading to significant changes in U.S. domestic and foreign policy, including the War on Terror.

Obituary

MetroWest Daily News, The (Framingham, MA) - May 8, 2006
Deceased Name: Leonard A. Blair

HUDSON - Leonard A. Blair, 88, of Hudson, died peacefully at home Saturday, May 6, 2006.

He was the husband of Rachel E. (Rapanault) Blair for 53 years.

Born in Southbridge, son of Edward and Rose (Livernois) Blair, he was a graduate of Mary E. Wells High School in Southbridge.

He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army.

He worked as a purchasing agent for various companies and retired from Honeywell many years ago.

Besides his wife, Mr. Blair leaves his daughter, Judith Nally of Hudson; and several nieces and nephews.

He was the father-in-law of William J. Nally Jr., who died in 1991.

A funeral will be held Tuesday, May 9, from Tighe-Hamilton Funeral Home, 50 Central St, Hudson, with a funeral Mass of Christian burial at 9 a.m., at St. Michael's Church, 21 Manning St., Hudson.

Burial will be in St. George's Cemetery, Southbridge.

Visiting hours are

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