Obituary of James Donald Blevins

James Donald Blevins Don Blevins (Age 87)of Great Falls, VA died on July 6 at Capital Caring Hospice after suffering a stroke 2 weeks prior. He was born in Itmann, West Virginia in 1928, the last of 8 children, to Chloe and James. His father succumbed to ALS at the height of the Great Depression, when he was still a young boy, and this, along with incredible love and support from his mother and siblings, instilled a fierce sense of self-motivation and self-reliance. He graduated from Beckley High School at 17, and joined the Navy for the tail end of WWII, serving on a target-towing ship in the South China Sea. After his Honorable Discharge, he used his GI Bill award to enroll and graduate from Beckley College with an accounting degree. Yearning to go to law school, he re-upped with the Navy for 2 more years, serving primarily in the Guantanamo Bay area off Cuba, and when he got out, he was accepted and enrolled at American University Law School. He worked at GEICO during the day and went to law school at night. During this time, he made the best decision of his life, marrying Irene Edwards, also of Beckley, and they would be married for the remaining 64 years of his life. Then fortune again smiled upon Don. Family lore has it that he asked for and was denied a $10 a week raise with GEICO, which caused him to start to look elsewhere. With his new law degree in hand, he was hired by the Consular Affairs division of the State Department. By this time son Brian and daughter Kim were born, and he transitioned to the Foreign Service Division. He would serve three years in Naples, Italy, two in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, 4 years as Deputy Chief of Mission in Hong Kong, at that time still a British Crown Colony, before returning to the Washington area for the Senior Seminar at the Dept of State. He was then posted as Consul General in Guadalajara, Mexico for 4 years, then came back to DC to be appointed the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in charge of Passport Services in the Reagan administration. He concluded his remarkable career with 3 years as Consul General in Toronto, Canada. After retirement, he practiced private immigration law in Washington for a couple of years, but spent the bulk of his time playing golf at River Bend Country Club, where he was a proud and active member for over 42 years. He was a passionate reader, engaged in the affairs of the world, and loved his Redskins. He also adopted the Nationals when baseball returned to DC. In this age of hyperbole, he was truly a self-made man and a Horatio Alger American success story. He asked and gave no quarter, yet was universally liked and admired. He was utterly free of pretense and didn't abide those that were not. Even as the effects of his stroke manifested over the previous 14 years, including the scourge of aphasia and anomia, which slowly robbed this engaging and erudite man of his gift of speech, he was absolutely convinced that there had to be a brighter day around the corner, and incredulous when it didn't appear right away. His attitude in the face of mounting health concerns was awe-inspiring, and we believe that he never gave up hope. He was not a contemplative man, he was a people person, and as his ability to express himself slowly deserted him, he never lost that eternal spark of life, aspiration and optimism. He was amazing. He is survived by his loving wife Irene, son Brian (Jodi) of Apopka, Florida, daughter Kim (Scott), of Herndon, Virginia, and 4 grandchildren, Isaac,Casey, Aaron and Tyler, as well as an army of friends from his rich and varied career, and the many golfing buddies he was fortunate enough to keep over the years. He was preceded in death by father James, mother Chloe, sisters Gladys, Thelma, Grace, Ruth and Evelyn, and brothers Herbert and Clyde. A visitation will take place on Monday, July 11, 2016 at 10:00 AM at Adams-Green Funeral Home where funeral services will immediately follow at 11:00 AM in the chapel. Burial will be held at Arnon Cemetery in Great Falls,VA. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a contribution in Don's name to the National Aphasia Association, P.O.Box 87, Scarsdale, NY. 10583, or by visiting aphasia.org