GILMANTON
Donald F. Blajda, 69, of 73 Snowshoe Hill Rd. died March 16, 2003 in Franklin Regional Hospital after a short illness. He was born in Manchester NH on July 27, 1933, the son of Joseph and Catherine (Zdon) Blajda. Raised in the Queen City, he attended Central High School and the NH Vocational School at Manchester. He resided in Manchester until the early 1970’s, when he moved to Rocky Pond in Gilmanton.
He served in the Army during the Korean War. Mr. Blajda was employed by the F.B. Connors Construction Co. of Nashua and later as assistant manager of the Nashua Singer Sewing Machine Store.
Following his retirement, he was a winter resident of Port Charlotte, FL for 13 years. An avid golfer, he was the 1960 Club Champion at the Derryfield Country Club in Manchester. He also enjoyed fishing as a pastime.
An accomplished musician, he formed the Don Flory Trio and played for more than twenty years at many Manchester area clubs and also at the Kings Grant Inn in Laconia. In addition he was a professional DJ and performed at functions throughout the area.
Mr. Blajda was a communicant of St. Joseph Parish in Belmont. He held membership in the Manchester local of the Carpenters and Joiners Union. He was a former member of the Henry J. Sweeney Post, American Legion of Manchester.
Family members include his wife of 44 years, Florence (St. Laurent) Blajda of Gilmanton; a daughter, Donna Dunbar of Barnstead NH; a son, Donald W. Blajda of Canterbury NH; four grandchildren, Joel Dunbar and Tucker Dunbar of Barnstead, and Ryan and Madeline Blajda of Canterbury; several; nieces and nephews.
Calling hours were in the Simoneau & Lambert Funeral Home, 139 Church St., Laconia on Friday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 PM. A funeral Mass was celebrated in St. Joseph Parish, Belmont on Saturday at 11 AM. Following cremation, urn burial will be in the NH Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, 66 Hanover St., Suite 101, Manchester NH 03101-2230. Timothy C. Molan and David L. Furber are the funeral directors.