Friday, September 25, 2009

Mary Dolores Bloemker - October 21, 1955 - September 19, 2009

Mary Dolores Bloemker - Mary to her friends, Dee to her family - passed away on September 18, 2009.  She's survived by her five sisters and one brother, many nieces and nephews, and many, many friends she's made over the years. 

Mary has always had a pioneering spirit.  She often became passionate about a show before anyone else even noticed it was on the air.  She was frequently an early adopter of technology, and was happy to pass on her love of tech (and often the now-replaced old tech) to her friends.  Her friends and family were very important to her - and she to them.  We all have a story to share of Mary's kindness, her frequent flashes of brilliance, those incredible tales that "came to her in a dream," her talent for so many things, her incredible mind for trivia, her abiding love affair with Dr. Jack and Benedek, her passion for her family history, her love of her extended family, her joy in her Feline Overlords (aka, cats) - well, the list does go on.

Mary Dolores Bloemker - Mary to her friends, Dee to her family - was a wonderful friend.  She will be missed.  But I think we can all take some comfort - and share a few laughs and tears along the way - by remembering the ways in which she touched each of our lives.

So please - do post your thoughts about MaryB / Dee, come back and post some more.  Let's not mourn Mary - let's celebrate her and the fact that we each knew her.

4 comments:

  1. I never had the pleasure of knowing Mary personally, but I've been a fan of hers for decades. She and I shared many fandoms, especially Shadowchasers. If a zine had her name on it, and was a fandom I was even slightly interested in, it was an immediate 'must buy' for me. Her stories are among the ones I read over and over again. I will miss her incredible talent.

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  2. Mary was an incredible lady - not just in fandom, but in life in general. I remember so well her advice to me when I was facing a rather major surgery. Her advice was basic, sanguine, and very helpful...and always available. I very much enjoyed stumbling over her through IMs, and having great little chats. She will be dearly missed, both as a great writer, a champion of overlooked fandoms - and a friend.

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  3. I was friends with Mary during the heyday of the Trek and 1999 conventions however we lost touch in the early 80's. After just coming across a lengthy hand written letter from her dated 3/11/76 I Googled her to see where she was and what she was up to all these years. I am very saddened by the (still shocking) news. RIP MaryB, we shared some fun times during one of the best "era's" of my life. I never did take you up on your offer to show me around DC the year after I graduated high school in '76...

    -LHP

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  4. All I remember is reading her fan fiction and thinking that I really liked the choices she chose in her stories. They almost always fascinated me. I'm sorry she's gone but she's really not and she's not forgotten either.

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