Karen Marie Blair

Our dear friend, mother, grandmother “Baboo”, sister, teacher, lady extraordinaire, Karen Marie Murdock Blair left this Earthly existence to join her sweetheart, Jim for eternity in heaven on August 3, 2025.

Karen Marie Murdock Blair, oh how she loved her name and was very proud of the rich heritage, vivid history and power that came with the Murdock name and the family who bore it before her. Karen is the great, great granddaughter of John Murdock as mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants, whose twins were adopted by Joseph Smith after their mother died in childbirth. John Murdock attended the school of the prophets and was one of those privileged to witness a miracle there when, as promised, once he humbled himself, the eyes of his understanding were opened, and he saw the Savior standing before him. His beautifully written testimony of that event is one that his great, great granddaughter, Karen Marie Murdock Blair deeply cherished.

Karen was born a precious Valentine gift to Franklin Joseph Murdock and Claire Thomas Murdock on February 14, 1943, in Salt Lake City. She grew up near what is now Sugar House Park but during Karen’s childhood, that location housed a prison, and the area was quite remote with only country roads surrounding. In fact, Karen remembers sheep coming down from the mountains and walking on the roads near her home. Karen has many fond memories of her childhood as the youngest of four children in the Murdock family. All who know Karen would admit that she was quite independent and liked to do things a certain way, the Karen Blair way. This personality trait began at a very young age when she learned to ride her bike before most children her age and she would bravely ride the streets past the prison with great confidence. She recalled that she was quite athletic in her youth, and at the time had to hide her physical acumen from her mom as it wasn’t a favored trait for girls in her social circle. Even still, Karen was often picked first for teams, even ahead of the boys and loved playing basketball and soccer in which she excelled, much to the chagrin of her mother who was trying her best to raise a proper little lady.

Karen’s father, Franklin Joseph Murdock founded the successful Murdock travel agency at the request of President David O. McKay prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as the church was in need of a travel agency. The Murdock travel agency and provided the family many opportunities for travel. Karen has a fond memory of traveling to Switzerland with her mother who surprisingly made efforts to accommodate her daughter’s interest in sports during that trip. Her mother made sure that Karen had the opportunity to experience snow skiing in those grand mountains and made arrangements accordingly, even though this was definitely not part of her travel itinerary. That gesture and effort on the part of her mother meant a lot to Karen. Karen would later have the wonderful opportunity to live and study French in Geneva Switzerland, but she admitted that she loved playing tennis and exploring the outdoors much more than learning French and was probably not the model student during her time there. Karen had a zest for life, an abiding curiosity, and a way of finding joy in the journey.

Karen’s flare for doing things differently, the Karen Blair way would continue into her young teenage years. Karen said she could always count on her parents leaving home to attend to church activities and responsibilities for at least 2 hours every night which provided great opportunities for her to satisfy that zest for life, and experience new adventures, unsupervised. Karen fondly remembered her older brother, Michael learning to drive. Michael, however, was not interested in driving and found learning to do so quite stressful. He was an actor and decided to tackle the task as a role. He wrote down and memorized the steps to operating the clutch and shifting the gears and he repeated the steps to himself aloud, as if rehearsing for a play. His younger sister, Karen took great delight in memorizing the steps along with him. But Karen was not satisfied merely talking about driving. Karen, being a doer of the word not just a hearer of the word decided to waste no time jumping into the car, remembering Michael’s script and giving it a go and thus became quite an accomplished driver, at the age of 13! In fact, unbeknownst to her parents, Karen had her own set of keys made for the family car. People in the neighborhood were kind and supportive as they waved at young Karen driving her parents’ car while they were dutifully fulfilling church callings each evening. The Karen Blair way. All was well until Mr. and Mrs. Murdock found out and then Karen’s underage driving had to take a back seat for a while.

As Karen grew into a beautiful young woman, she, like her parents greatly valued education. Karen attended the University of Utah and BYU where there were many potential suitors for such a beautiful girl. However, Karen was embarrassed to admit that she actually met the love of her life on a date, arranged by her mother! Jim and Karen were both reticent about being “set up” on a date until they met one another and fell in love. Their engagement lasted two very long years as Jim, too, was quite independent and insisted on working, saving, and paying for a proper ring before he would propose marriage which took quite some time as he was also pursing higher education.

Karen graduated from BYU with a degree in Elementary Education and Jim had acquired the ring, and two were finally married on June 28, 1965 in the Salt Lake City Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Karen worked and supported Jim as he completed his master’s degree and doctorate degree which took them away from Salt Lake City to Logan, Utah, then to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and then back to Utah State University where they settled to raise their family of 4 beautiful children who had come and blessed their lives along the way.

The family enjoyed many wonderful traditions over the years and became fondly known as “The Blair Bears” and Karen had quite the collection of bears to attest to that name. The Blair Bears are known for hosting parties to showcase “Papa’s Train” for both Halloween and Christmas, painting little Blair Bear Christmas ornaments to share with neighbors and friends, taking their young children to deliver the ornaments while singing Christmas carols, Easter Egg rolls down Old Main Hill and Lundstrom Park for their children, grandchildren, and friends’ children for all were welcome as is the Blair Bear way.

Karen was fondly known by many generations of Cache Valley residents as their favorite teacher. She taught for the Logan City School District for 34 years. Teaching was not merely a profession or a job to Karen, it was a calling. We could have a week-long wake or vigil honoring “Mrs. Blair” if we were to call upon her former students to bear testimony of her teaching and how she impacted their lives. In fact, Campbell Scientific donated funds to establish the Karen Marie Murdock Blair scholarship for future teachers to honor Mrs. Blair’s expertise and service in Elementary Education after she had the delight of having young Emily Campbell in her class. The scholarship is awarded each year to a promising future teacher who has a specific interest in the use of readers’ theatre, choral reading and performing plays to enhance children’s learning because this was of great importance to Mrs. Blair in her fourth-grade classroom.

Karen loved to see children doing their very best for their families as they performed plays in her classroom. The children would go into the project thinking, “Mrs. Blair, I can’t memorize all of this.” Mrs. Blair smiled, knowing from years of experience and the potential of her students what would soon transpire. Her students would exhibit so much confidence and pride in their accomplishment as they worked together, each participating in the performance for their families.

Karen dedicated herself to her students and her classroom/theatre which, like her home was a reflection of her personality and love of life. She adored the artwork of Mary Engelbreit and her excessive designs and bright colors. Karen’s home, wardrobe, glasses, shoes and even her cars had that Karen Blair Flair of cheery brightness and fun designs. Karen loved checkerboards and the color green. While some senior shoppers may find themselves victims of a “senior moment”, exiting a shopping center unable to locate their cars, that would not happen to Karen. It was for that reason as well as her love of the design and all things unique that she ordered her favorite Mini Cooper in a checkerboard design. She said not only was it stylish, but she would always be able to find it. We will all miss seeing Karen behind the wheel of that iconic checkerboard Mini Cooper on the streets of Cache Valley.

A favorite cherished experience that Karen shared with her loved ones revolved around the time that she and her sister, Joyce, who was 13 years her senior, took a class together at the University of Utah. They had the privilege of attending a guest lecture by the famous author, Leo Leoni. He shared his perspective of writing children’s literature when he said, “I do not write children’s books just for children; I write my books for everyone.” Karen loved and embraced that quote as she made a point of sharing Leo Leoni’s books with friends and family, regardless of age.

Karen loved children’s literature and even years after her retirement, she continued to share her love of books and their powerful stories in the most unique way. Both she and Jim recorded their voices narrating favorite books and relating their personal connection to the stories, a gift that will never pass away but will be shared for generations to come. Karen felt that this gift would be her way of sharing a part of herself with family members she would never actually meet during her lifetime. While flowers wilt and material gifts deteriorate, the sound of their voices reading stories, the books with their own written word and testimonies are an eternal treasure that is and will be kept in the hearts and minds of all who love them.

Karen also left a lasting tribute to the “Blair Bears” in the beautiful monument she created and had placed in the Logan City cemetery. Every detail, from the Hershey chocolate bar to the checkerboard bear with green glasses and the names of family members written in Hebrew have special meaning. If you want to know more about the fun things that are unique to the Blair Bear family, visit that beautiful monument and “cozy couch” that is carefully placed to provide a resting place for visitors reflect on the memory and lives of those who have graduated from this life to continue their quest into eternity.

Karen Blair’s life was a testimony of faith in hard things and proof that everyone can overcome trials and strive to be better people each day. Especially after her sweetheart, Jim’s passing, Karen had to learn to do so many new things and navigate life in a vastly different way, a road that was rocky and rough, but she showed all of us how to do exactly that, learn new things, become better each day, to rely fully on the Savior for strength and hope and to “study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:18) Karen diligently studied the scriptures with the “Come Follow Me” curriculum and had a great passion for learning with the materials and podcasts created by Emily Freeman and David Butler which she found so delightful and loved to share with others. The program and materials are called “Don’t Miss This” and that could be a mantra for how Karen lived life. Everything was a wonderful new adventure, the world was full of friends she hadn’t met and her exuberance for life can be summed up in that phrase, “Don’t Miss This.” That is the testimony she leaves with all of us. Embrace life. Embrace love. Live your life with excitement and hope.

Karen Marie Murdock Blair will be greatly missed but we all rejoice with Jim and the angels in heaven that she is reunited with the one whose love is like no other, unconditional, eternal, a perfect love of which earthly minds and hearts cannot comprehend and that is the love and presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ of whom Karen testified in her daily walk with Him.

Now Karen Marie Murdock Blair, may the Lord say unto you, the words He spoke in His parable, “… Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matthew 25:21) and “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3)

Karen is survived by her children Benjimen James Blair (Jody McAdams) of Seattle, Washington; Alexa Michele (Chris) Anderson of Walla Walla, Washington; Emily Blair (Michael) MacKinnon of Seattle, Washington; Peter Joseph (Leslie) Blair of Rexburg, Idaho and grandchildren, Allyse Makel (Chase) Campbell of Weston, Idaho, Michael James Anderson of Portland, Oregon, Paige Marie Anderson of Walla Walla, Washington, Owen Coalfleet Blair and Ian Carson Blair of Rexburg, Idaho, Tally Ann (Sivan) Koren of Lehi, Utah and great grandchildren Aurora James Campbell, Nova Spencer Campbell and Leon Paul Koren. She is also survived by her constant furry companions, Maggie and Bailey.

A funeral service for Karen will be held on Friday, August 8, 2025 at 12:00 P.M. at 1450 E 1500 N, Logan, Utah 84321. A viewing will be held prior to the service from 10:30 to 11:30 A.M. at the church. An additional viewing will be held on Thursday, August 7, 2025 from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. at White Pine Funeral Services, 753 S 100 E, Logan, Utah. The interment will be at the Logan City Cemetery.

To honor the Blair Bear legacy and that of Karen Marie Murdock Blair, be kind to others, share love, bear the sorrows of this world with hope and faith of a better tomorrow, and grow closer to the Savior in your trials of life, turn to Him, rely on Him and know that He is with you always.

And Karen’s final familiar words: Love you! See you in Heaven!

Karen's funeral service can be viewed via Zoom at the following link: CLICK HERE TO WATCH SERVICE VIA ZOOM