Longtime harness racing industry participant Tim Blair of Calgary, Alta. passed away on Monday, March 6 at the age of 61.

Tim was born in Indian Head, Saskatchewan in 1955. In the early 70s Tim moved to Alberta where he started training Standardbreds of his own. He raced in many places such as Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Windsor, New Jersey, and even as far as Hong Kong. In the early 80s he then started trucking for Moore’s Horse Transport and Foothills Horse Transport where he travelled all over North America with many stories to tell. Blair then met his wife Dawn Blair (Burrell) who came from a Thoroughbred racing family, and had two children: Bobby and Christy Blair.

Throughout the years Tim has maintained his appearance around the track, getting in bets ANY chance he could whether it be stopping in at a casino in the states or phoning his kids to get down to the track to make that bet for him. As horse racing is what he has lived for he was always taking part any chance he could from involvement in the Standardbred/Thoroughbred industry to helping his buddy Jerry Bremner over the years on the Chuckwagon circuit.

Early in 2015 Tim was sadly diagnosed with ALS & Dementia. ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. ALS is a rapid, always fatal, neurodegenerative disease with no known cures to date. It attacks the nerves that the body would normally use to send messages from the brain to the muscle, resulting in weakness and wasting. This past Monday, with his loving family around him, Tim lost his battle of this devastating disease. We can all hope that one day a cure will be found.

A Celebration of Tim’s Life will be held this Saturday, March 11 at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #285, 9202 Horton Road SW.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the ALS Society of Alberta a group that has helped the Blair family tremendously through this tough time in all of their lives.

To view and share photos, condolences and stories of Tim, please visit choicememorial.com.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Tim Blair.