Blair Herren

January 15, 1941 - March 7, 2018

Virginia Blair Johnson Herren, 77, of Arab, AL, passed away in Birmingham, AL on March 7, 2018. Born in Harriman, TN on January 15, 1941 to Max and Gin Johnson, she was a beloved mother, grandmother, and friend to many. She graduated Valedictorian from Harriman High School in 1959. Fascinated by learning, she received a B.S in Chemistry and Math from Birmingham Southern in 1962 where she was in Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Omicron Pi, and Alpha Lambda Delta. Blair was a teacher for many years at Arab High School in math and Health Occupations Education. She worked for NASA for 23 years as a Project Manager for Small Microgravity Experiments and was awarded multiple patents for techniques related to protein crystal growth. Blair was passionate about flowers and gardening, anything NASA or space-related, and had a great sense of humor. Active in her community, she was a member of The Arab Garden Club, The Arab Literary Club, a past member of the Arab City Beautification Board and for fun, The Breakfast Chicks and the Ladies Pot Luck Dinner Club. Blair enjoyed planning the Arab Elementary School Flower Show every year. Blair is survived by her daughter, Laura Read (Russell), her sons Jimmy Herren and Bob Herren (Beth); six grandchildren, Ryan Read, Brandon Herren, Blake Herren, Natalie Read, J.T. Herren, and Brendan Herren; her brother, King Johnson (Donna), her niece Sara Johnson Miller (Andrew) and nephew Sam Johnson (Sarah) and friend, Kenneth Dodd. A ceremony celebrating her life will occur at Gober Funeral Chapel in Arab, AL on Sunday, March 18, 2018. Visitation will be from 12:00-1:00, with a memorial service to follow at 1:00. In lieu of flowers, please donate to The Arab Education Foundation (arabcityschools.org, specify AHS Robotics Team), The Arab Public Library, or the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Foundation.