Maudine Blair's Obituary
In Loving Memory of Maudine Blair
On February 18th, 2026, Maudine Blair went to be with the Lord at the age of 101. She was preceded in death by her beloved parents, Eugene Goode and Della Wright Blair.
She is survived by her brother, Floyd Franklin Blair (Sharon) of Ocala, FL; her niece, Susan Blair Warford (Jim) of Washougal, WA; her nephew, Michael Blair (Jeanie) of Lake Worth Beach, FL; her grandniece, Katie Blair Emery (Anton) of Portland, OR; her grandnephew, Lucas Warford (Samantha) and great grandnephew, Jack of Bellingham, WA; her grand-niece, Jessica Blair of Los Angeles, CA; her grandnephew, Nathan Warford (Christina), great grandniece Nora, and great-grandnephew Javier of Tampa, FL; and her long-time friend and caregiver, Donna Linkovich Spooner of Tallahassee, FL.
Early Life and Education
Maudine was born in Ft. Payne, Alabama. When she was four years old, her parents moved the family to Tifton, Georgia. Throughout her childhood and high school years in Tifton, Maudine excelled at learning about and interacting with people. Her classmates recognized her as “most talkative” in her senior superlatives, a trait that served her well throughout her life. As a teenager, Maudine practiced the kindness that her parents taught her by visiting people in a nearby nursing home and bringing them treats, be it a tin of snuff or a pack of handkerchiefs, as well as her irresistible brand of joyful fun.
Polio interrupted Maudine’s professional career at Florida State University, leading to a lifetime of battling the residual pain of a weak back and lower left extremities. For a year, she was bedridden, three months of which was spent at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Rehabilitation Hospital in Warm Springs, GA where she spread her cheer to the other patients despite her own pain and disability. Her happy mischief was legendary among the hospital staff as well as her fellow sufferers of that debilitating disease. During her confinement to bed, she wrote a light-hearted book about her experiences, entitled "Bedititis.”
She attended Queens College in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she joined the Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity. Maudine went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in constructive design from Florida State University and a Master of Education degree in counseling from the University of Georgia. Subsequently, she served as Assistant Director of Counseling and Personnel Services at Florida State University. In mid-career, at the urging of co-workers who observed how many friends of all ages came to her for sage advice on personal and career issues, she earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Florida State University.
Career and Legacy
In 1970, Maudine founded the first privately owned counseling center in Leon County. In keeping with her boundless creativity and desire to help those who wanted to improve themselves and their relationships with family, co-workers and all whom they would come in contact. She located her practice in an office building where her professional clients could go without revealing that they were getting counseling. She combined her unique blend of psychological models with her captivating personality and an infectious sense of humor to help countless clients—ranging in age from two and a half to ninety-six—lead happier and more fulfilling lives. A person of deep faith, Maudine often said that God was the chairman of her Board, and she considered her mission in life to be “helping people.”
Maudine put all her energy and heart into her practice, seeing clients individually, running two 2 ½ hour groups for five evenings a week, and holding, with boundless vigor, weekend marathon group sessions of up to 40 people several times a year in the mountains of East Tennessee. She even designed and built a lodge overlooking Dry Valley close to Townsend, TN to hold her marathons, creating memorable and healing experiences for her clients. In addition to Blair’s Counseling Service, she instituted Florida Communications and Management Institute for the purpose of improving intra and interpersonal communications skills in the workplace, a business she extended to Tennessee.
Maudine was a life-long learner who studied professional publications to continuously sharpen her craft. To that end, she participated in many professional organizations including the American Psychological Association (Life Member), which, considering her Ph.D. dissertation, deemed her a psychologist; the American Group Psychotherapy Association (Life Member and Certified Group Psychotherapist), International Transactional Analysis Association, and American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (Clinical Fellow).
Maudine continued her professional practice until August of 2024, when her health no longer allowed her to do so. Even then, she brought joy to everyone who approached her bedside, continuing to touch the lives of those around her and leaving a lasting memory of her infinite kindness, sharp wit, and professional expertise.
Charitable Gift
Should you wish to honor Maudine with a charitable gift, please donate to Big Bend Hospice at https://bigbendhospice.org/foundation/donate/. You may request that notification of your gift be sent to Donna “BB” Spooner, Ph.D., P.O. Box 14595, Tallahassee, FL 32317. Email address: [email protected].
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