David Arthur Blair, 19, of Manistee, Michigan, passed away on August 12, 2026, while stationed in Georgia with the United States Marine Corps.

David was born May 1, 2007, at West Shore Hospital in Manistee, Michigan, to David Alan Blair and Crystal Lynn Fraly. He grew up alongside his sisters, Brooklynn, Heaven, and River.

At 17, David enlisted in the United States Marine Corps through the Delayed Entry Program and completed his education at Casman Academy early so he could begin recruit training. After earning the title of United States Marine, he returned home to participate in his graduation ceremony and receive his diploma, standing among his classmates as the only graduate in Marine Corps Dress Blues.

David enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, including visiting with his grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. He enjoyed being with friends in person or talking with them online while playing video games. He also enjoyed fishing, hunting, sports, pickleball, and spending time outdoors. David was loving and respectful and had a great sense of humor. He genuinely enjoyed making people laugh. He was always willing to lend a hand, and as he matured, he made an effort to be a good example to those around him and was learning how to become a leader of men. He cared deeply about his sisters and the people close to him, and would often try to help them through their struggles, taking the time to listen and talk things through. When things felt especially difficult, he would remind his sisters, "At the end of the day, the sun will set and it will rise again."

He also taught himself to play guitar without formal lessons. He could often be heard in his room playing the beginning of one song, moving into the beginning of another, and then another. It was simply the way he played, exploring whatever caught his interest and learning as he went.

David went on to complete Military Police training and continued building his skills as a Marine, including earning the Rifle Expert qualification, before beginning his active-duty assignment as a military police officer at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany in Georgia. Becoming a Marine was a significant chapter in a life that was only beginning to unfold.

David met Lauren Luettgen online and they began getting to know one another through FaceTime, online games, and frequent conversation. As their relationship grew, they visited one another in their respective towns and spent more time together in person. David proposed to Lauren at a lighthouse in Port Washington, Wisconsin, on a snowy evening with the city lights in the background. They married on February 22, 2026, and made their home together in the Albany, Georgia area while David was stationed there. They enjoyed visiting favorite cafés and restaurants, playing pickleball, exploring new places, spending time with friends, and simply being together. They shared their home with their dogs, Copper and Goose, which they had given to one another as birthday gifts.

David was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and believed in the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation. Like many young people still finding their way, he did not pretend to have every answer, and his testimony was still developing. His family knew him as someone who genuinely did his best to achieve his goals and choose the right.

David was a son, brother, husband, grandson, friend, and Marine. Those titles describe important parts of his life, but none of them alone can contain the person his family and friends knew. His mortal life was far too short, but the end of mortality is not the end. In the days following his death, his father struggled with a painful thought that kept returning: "David's gone." But when he applied what he knew to be true, that thought began to change: David is not gone. He is just not here anymore, but David still is! It is hoped that this simple truth may also bring comfort to others. David is deeply loved and profoundly missed.

Funeral services for David will be held Thursday, September 3, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. at Herbert Funeral Home, 706 Kosciusko Street, Manistee, Michigan. Burial with military honors will follow at South Victory Cemetery. Following the burial, family, friends, those who knew David, and those there to support his family are invited to a luncheon and gathering in the connected building directly behind The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1672 US 31 South, Manistee, Michigan, using the rear entrance.