Marjorie Ella (Jacot) Blair

Marjorie Ella Jacot Blair, 99, passed away at Friendship Village of Columbus on March 25, 2020.  Marjorie was a lifelong educator and is well remembered for her years at Columbus North High School from 1958-1979.

Marjorie was born on July 2, 1920 in Ghent, Ohio to Paul Jacot and Blanche Linder Jacot.  Her family soon moved to her grandfather's farm in Bath, Ohio, where multiple generations lived together. She graduated from Bath High School in 1938 and from Kent State University in 1942.  While at Kent, she met her future husband, Joseph S. Blair, Jr.  After graduation and at the start of World War II, Marjorie returned to Bath to teach students at her alma mater.  She supported Joseph's service as a conscientious objector, as he risked his health in medical experiments in search of treatments for diseases.  After the war, they reunited and married on June 15, 1946.

The young couple soon went to New York City to continue their educations.  Marjorie earned a Masters Degree from Columbia Teachers College, now Columbia University.  After their first child, Brenda, was born, they returned to Columbus, Ohio in time for the birth of their second child, Larry.  Now with a family, they bought a three-story Victorian house on the edge of Ohio State's campus.  Marjorie ran a rooming house for 12 male OSU students and cared for her young children while her husband worked and earned his PhD.  Theirs was the first racially integrated off-campus housing at Ohio State. Their two children were fortunate to grow up in a house full of people from all over the world, representing diverse races, beliefs and walks of life.

In 1958 Marjorie returned to teaching, where she began her storied career at North High School. She taught English, Principles of Democracy (POD), and coached the debate team.  The Columbus Dispatch once described her as the "winningest coach in the city" because her debate team had a better winning record than any of the city’s sports teams.  She coached several teams that qualified for and performed well at national debate competitions. In 2002, she was inducted into the North High School Hall of Fame.

Marjorie’s living legacy is the many students she influenced over the course of her teaching career.  Her students, having learned how to think critically and conduct research, became lawyers, doctors, nurses, teachers, scientists, and engineers. Having learned the importance of equality and service to our democracy, her students became parents, volunteers, politicians, and clergy. They also became good citizens, fighting injustice and caring for others in many diverse ways.  Our deepest thanks go to all those former students who sent her cards and letters over the years.  Your thoughtfulness meant the world to her.

Marjorie was a stalwart member of University Baptist Church, where she served on every committee imaginable and made many friends.  She also was active in community life after moving to Friendship Village of Columbus in 2003. She continued to learn by preparing presentations for the Humanities Group on favorite topics, such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Harper Lee’s book, To Kill a Mockingbird. 

When asked the secret to a long life, Marjorie replied that the key is to enjoy every stage of life, even when it's not easy. She survived serious maladies, including breast cancer in 1962. In the face of obstacles, she always maintained an optimistic outlook. She felt that it wasn't how long you lived, but how you lived that mattered. She exemplified love, humor, and resilience in every instance where those qualities were most needed.

She is survived by her son, Larry Blair; daughter, Brenda Blair (Larry Yarak); grandsons, Steven Yarak (Danielle Murray) and Jonathan Yarak (Stephanie Raskin); great-grandchildren, Ivan and Matilda Yarak; niece, Becky (Paul) Donaldson and their children and grandchildren; and several cousins.

In this time of coronavirus, no services are planned.  If you wish to honor Marjorie, please make a donation to any organization that supports public school teachers.  And please consider voting for bond issues that provide resources for public education.

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