Charles William "Bill" Blair

Charles William Blair, known to all as Bill, passed away peacefully on September 9, 2026, at Heart-to-Heart Hospice in Fort Worth, Texas, at the age of 80.

Bill was born on March 23, 1946, in Wharton, Texas, at the Caney Valley Hospital, his uncle’s medical clinic. He graduated from high school in New Canaan, Connecticut, in 1964, then went on to Occidental College to study economics. After taking a few years away from school, he pursued law at the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated with honors, earning both a J.D. and an MBA in 1983.

Practicing law was one of Bill's great loves, and he built an accomplished career at Kelly Hart, where his dedication to his profession and his clients was recognized time and again. He was named a Top Attorney in Business Law by 360 West magazine in 2021–2023, 2025, and 2026, and was a member of the Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas from 2012 to 2023. In 2023, he was honored with the Kelly Hart Pro Bono Award. Bill was especially proud of his pro bono work, spending countless hours helping low-income families find legal resolutions and a measure of peace.

Bill approached everything in life with full effort and total dedication — there was no such thing as a partial effort for him. He was an avid cyclist, sometimes riding as many as 50 miles in a day, and he found true pleasure in gardening. He was an enthusiast for Fort Worth’s cultural scene, especially the Kimbell Art Museum, which was a true passion of his.

Education, for himself and for others, mattered deeply to Bill. He was a patient and dedicated teacher at heart, always ready to mentor those around him, and he extended that same dedication and commitment to the causes he cared about through his philanthropy. Bill was a generous philanthropist at his core, supporting a variety of charities and organizations, and he established the Ruth K. Blair Endowment at the University of Texas Law Fund in honor of his mother, Ruth — a lasting tribute to the value he placed on learning and opportunity for others.

Those who knew Bill will remember him as a kind, soft-spoken, and thoughtful man who had a gift for telling stories in an engaging and charming way.

Bill is survived by his sister, Susan Elizabeth Blair; his nieces, Risa Hartman and Sara Dial; and his grand-nieces and grand-nephews, Ryan Hartman, Gracie Hartman, Evie Huie, and Tyler Huie.

A private family service will be held in Wharton, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial gifts be made to the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that was near and dear to Bill's heart.

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