John Lawrence Blinde's Obituary
John Lawrence Blinde (1948-2011)
On Friday, October 14, 2011, John Lawrence Blinde, son of the late Alfred R. Blinde and Marjorie Moore Blinde, died peacefully at his home in Herndon, Virginia. He was 63. He left behind his beloved wife of 41 years, Linda; three loving children, Michael, Karen, and Christopher; his brother, David; four grandchildren; and family, friends, and colleagues across the world. We will miss him every day and remember his integrity, generosity, and wit always.
John was born on March 31, 1948, in Lincoln, Nebraska. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Chadron State College in 1970 and, after serving in the United States Army from 1970 to 1974, returned to Chadron State College to earn a Master of Science in Education in 1975. He continued his education after establishing his career, earning a Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College in 1996.
After teaching public school in Los Alamos, New Mexico from 1975 to 1980, John joined what would become the Central Intelligence Agency's Open Source Center, then the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS), where he served until his retirement in 2006. During his tenure with FBIS, he and his family traveled the world, serving at duty stations in Korea, England, Israel, and Okinawa, as well as in Washington, DC. He was especially proud of his leadership of the FBIS Okinawa Bureau, which allowed him to use his remarkable talent for bringing diverse groups together to achieve a common vision.
Those who knew John will remember him as a humanist: his belief in human ideas and potential was inspiring. He loved music and the arts, both as performer and audience member. He had a great thirst for knowledge about art, literature, history, science, and technology. He was also an avid golfer and skier.
A memorial celebration will take place on Thursday, October 20, 2011 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at the Army and Navy Club, 3315 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax, Virginia. In honor of John's lifelong habit of supporting a variety of charitable causes, and in lieu of flowers, the family requests that friends wishing to make gifts in his memory do so to the charity of their choice.
Online condolences may be expressed to John’s family at www.foundandsons.com
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