Nancy Blair Found Unconscious in Car, Dies in Hospital at 48

Nancy Blair, the estranged wife of former San Diego City Manager Ray Blair, died Sunday night at Mission Bay Hospital after she was found unconscious inside her car in the garage of her La Jolla home.

A garden hose attached to the exhaust pipe had been inserted through the window of the locked car, but coroner’s officials said Monday that the cause of death had not yet been determined. Deputy Coroner Robert Engel said that a note had also been found, but officials refused to reveal the contents.

Mrs. Blair, who was 48, was discovered at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday by a college student who had rented a room in her home. She was pronounced dead at 7:26 p.m.

Mrs. Blair had filed for a legal separation from her husband in June after 22 years of marriage. In court documents, she said that Ray Blair had moved out of the family home on June 8 and was living with another woman.

Ray Blair resigned the city manager’s position in June citing high blood pressure and the continuing stress of the job. In April, 1984, he suffered a near-fatal cerebral aneurysm but returned to work by October of that year. At the time he said that his wife deserved much of the credit for his successful recovery.

In 1984, Blair had been questioned by the City Council about his relationship with Deputy City Manager Sue Williams. Blair neither confirmed nor denied that the two were having a romance. Williams and Blair have since formed a business partnership.

Mrs. Blair was socially active and was a volunteer for Crime Victims Fund, the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation and the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau.

She is survived by a sister, Betty Komara of Chula Vista.