Jay C. Blaine passed away June 22, 2023 in Allen, Texas at the age of 99. He was born to Foy Alden and Erna (Renkwitz) Blaine on May 30, 1924 in Santa Cruz, California.
Jay married Jerrylee Marie Hawkins on June 10, 1944 at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. He served in the Army and was a veteran of both World War II and Korea. While serving in WWII, he was stationed in New Guinea and the southern Philippines, where he was awarded three campaign stars. During the winter of 1950 while serving as a Sergeant in Korea, he was also awarded three campaign stars. He qualified as an expert rifleman and infantryman, serving in the 99th Infantry.
Jay worked for more than 30 years as a postal supervisor. He was a Past President and Fellow of the Texas Archeological Society. He participated in archeological investigations in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Louisiana and published the results of his studies in local, state, and regional journals. He was awarded the Crabtree Award by the Society for American Archaeology for being an outstanding avocational archaeologist. He was an authority on Southern Plains archaeology and on the identification and conservation of metal artifacts.
Jay worked with tribal members and archaeologists of the Chickasaw Nation as a consultant to identify historic materials from sites in Mississippi. In this capacity, he identified English and French gun parts and trained Chickasaw citizens how to recognize and preserve metals for future generations.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Foy and Erna Blaine, and his wife, Jerrylee Blaine.
A memorial graveside service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Pkwy, Dallas, Texas 75211.