Troy Allen Blair

IN HONOR OF TROY, PLEASE VISIT THE TRIBUTE WALL, AND ENJOY THE VIDEO MEMORIAL.

Troy Allen Blair, age 59 years, a longtime resident of Gurnee, IL, passed away on March 9, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. He was born on July 29, 1964, in Boonville, MO. On June 27, 1987, in Kenosha, WI, Troy married the love of his life, his best friend, Katherine Appelgren.

Troy grew up in Overland Park, KS, and as a child enjoyed catching frogs and snakes and playing football and baseball. His father, Ron, died when Troy was 17 years old, after which Troy left home and eventually made his way to Durango, CO, where he met and fell in love with Kathy Appelgren. Troy loved gardening, nature photography, and the Grateful Dead, and he even convinced Kathy to name their daughter, Cassidy, after one of the Dead’s songs. Troy shared his passion for baseball with his son, Kevin, and enjoyed being able to coach Kevin’s youth baseball teams and continued to play baseball himself as an adult. As a husband and father, Troy worked hard to provide for his family, and due to his natural ability to connect with people ultimately found his greatest career success in insurance sales and recruiting.  Troy enjoyed traveling with Kathy and his in-laws, Jim and Tonna, including frequent trips to Minocqua, WI.

As his children grew up and found their own spouses, Troy was a welcoming father-in-law to both Daniel and Shannon, and in the last few years, Troy became a doting grandfather who enjoyed fishing and kayaking with August and Frederick. Troy loved his family’s many pets (even the cats to which he was allergic) and most recently enjoyed hunting for grouse and pheasants with his braque français, Winston, and walks in the forest preserve with Kathy’s goldendoodle, Hank.

In addition to the Grateful Dead, Troy was a lifelong fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and was happy to watch them win one more Superbowl this year. He enjoyed golfing with friends in Gurnee, even when they did not win, and Troy was grateful for all the friendships he made over the years, including his childhood friends, colleagues, and neighbors.

His family would like to thank the medical staff at Northwestern Medicine for their care throughout the last year while Troy was treated there for advanced lung cancer. Kathy would also like to acknowledge the many friends and neighbors who came together to support the family during this difficult time. Troy is remembered by his family as a strong man of many opinions who loved and was devoted to his wife, children, and grandchildren. He will be deeply missed.

Troy is survived by his loving family, including his wife of 36 years, Kathy Blair; daughter and son-in-law, Cassidy (Daniel) Gerber; son and daughter-in-law, Kevin (Shannon) Blair; twin grandsons, August and Frederick Gerber; mother and step-father, Joyce (Joseph) Richardson; father-in-law, James (Tonna) Appelgren; sister, Rhonda (D.J.) Cyr; half-sister Chrissy (Smiley) Hudson; nephew, Alex Massey; niece, Natalie Cyr; brother-in-law, Jonathan Appelgren; and many friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Ronald Blair; uncle, Robert McCoy; mother-in-law, Darlene Nelson; and brother-in-law, Michael Appelgren.

Visitation will be held from 1:00pm-4:00pm, Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Bethel Lutheran Church, 5110 Grand Avenue, Gurnee, IL, with services following at 4:00pm at church with Rev. Dr. Ben Squires officiating. Refreshments will follow at church after services. Interment will be private at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to: Warren Special Recreation Association, 100 S. Greenleaf Street, Gurnee, IL 60031, (warrenspecialrec.org) to cover expenses for Special Olympics participants.

Arrangements entrusted to Sambrano Funeral & Cremation, Gurnee, IL. Please sign the online guestbook at laurasambranofunerals.com; for more information, call 847-571-7719.

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