Rodger Charles Blair

Rodger Charles Blair, 79, of Las Cruces, New Mexico passed away peacefully on January 16, 2022. Rodger was the son of Ronald Conklin Blair and Donna Lindsley Blair of Benton Harbor, Michigan. Rodger was known for his high standards, hard work and commitment to family, friends and people who needed help. He lived his life well, earning the respect of many.

Rodger graduated from Alma College in Michigan where he met Charlene Glassell of Bay Village, Ohio. They were married in June of 1966 and then moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to pursue graduate degrees at the University of North Carolina. Rodger was among the first to receive a master's degree in computer science from UNC. Several years later, he earned a second master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Rodger was a software engineer, manager, consultant and college instructor in computer science. His career in software engineering spanned more than fifty years during which he led teams and clients through many sweeping changes. Early in his career at Digital Equipment Corporation, he and his family lived Merrimack, New Hampshire. As his career advanced, the family relocated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1985. This began his affiliation with the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. During this time, Rodger worked for start-ups, for the Software Engineering Institute and for consulting firms. Additionally, he was a part-time instructor at the University of Pittsburgh and Robert Morris University. He pursued and attained the Six Sigma Black Belt designation.

In 2011, he and Charlene retired to Las Cruces, New Mexico. In retirement, Rodger's interest in software engineering continued, culminating in the creation of SoftTechMetrics and an iPhone application he developed. He also mentored undergraduate computer science students in the Software Engineering Laboratory course at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina. Rodger's other interests included classical and jazz music (especially Big Band jazz), writing book reviews and watching Alabama football games.

Rodger was an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), with twenty-nine years of continuous sobriety. He was active in his AA home group "AA @12:15" here in Las Cruces where he carried the message, sponsored recovering men and mentored people in the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.

Rodger is survived by Charlene, his wife of fifty-five years, daughter Lauren of Los Angeles, California, her husband Ibrahim, their children Ian and Sarah, and son Ryan of Winston Salem, North Carolina, his wife Teresa and their children Caroline, Julia and Charlie. He is also survived by his only sibling, Linda Schrock, of Mendon, Michigan, and her husband Roger, and their children David and Douglas.

A Celebration of Life in Rodger's memory will be scheduled at a later date. Per his wishes, his ashes will be spread in Soledad Canyon in Las Cruces and Topsail Island, North Carolina. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions for Rodger B can be made to AA's GSO (General Service Office), referencing Group #000233880 (for AA @12:15) and mailed-to: GSO, PO Box 2407, James Farley Station, NY, NY 10116-2407.