Judy Ann Bloom

For Judy Bloom, family was the greatest source of happiness. She cherished them with all her heart. She cared for them in times of need and celebrated with them in times of joy. Her years of dedicated work and labors of love afforded her both a happy place in life and a family that loved her dearly.

Although the 1940s were pretty well defined by World War II, there were also many exciting events taking place. It was the era of big bands and the birth of television. Judy was born on October 20, 1940, to Max and Christine (Jarvis) Barr in Midland, Michigan. Judy grew up the youngest of four with two sisters, Louise and Patricia, and brother Max "Don." Although there was a 16-year age difference between the youngest and oldest sibling, she and her siblings were very close. This wasn't surprising considering they lived in a small home and everything had to be shared. Judy's father was a radio and television technician owning his own repair shop. Her mother kept the books in addition to being a wonderful homemaker.

Every year the family vacationed in the Benzonia area where Judy's father was born and raised. They stayed with Judy's Great Uncle Jake, who owned the local grain cooperative. While her father and brother spent most of their time fishing, the girls enjoyed Crystal Lake. Judy was especially fond of horseback riding; a passion she carried with her throughout her life. In fact, she saved her hard earned money from her first job out of high school to purchase her first horse, Lucky.

Judy was an excellent student and excelled academically. She graduated from Midland Senior High in 1958. During her senior year, Judy did an internship with the County Prosecutor's office. After graduation, she returned to work there full time.

Frank and Judy met on the beach at Crystal Lake in the summer of 1958. Judy was vacationing with her family and Frank was on leave from the United States Air Force. Their first date was to the Cherryland Drive-In. Just as their relationship began to blossom, Frank's leave was over and he shipped out to Morocco. Despite being many miles apart, Judy and Frank continued to foster their relationship through letters. Upon Frank's discharge, they were happily married on July 9, 1960, at Presbyterian Memorial Church in Midland. They honeymooned in the Upper Peninsula.

Less than a year later, Frank left for Elkhart, Indiana, where he attended Elkhart University of Medical/Dental Studies. Within six months, Judy quit her job and joined Frank in Elkhart. She had to sell her beloved horse as finances were tight. After one and a half years of school, Frank and Judy moved to Grand Rapids where Frank worked for a local dentist for 13 years as a dental technician. For the past 30 years, Frank has owned his own dental laboratory and worked for primarily three local dentists. During this time, Judy worked as a legal secretary. Judy was employed at Warner, Norcross & Judd for over 35 years. Although she was a dedicated employee, her priority was her children. She worked hours that allowed her to be home before and after school for her children Allison Kay (1967) and Michael Frank (1973).

Family was the center of Judy's world and she was a devoted mother. Evenings included a family dinner with everyone sharing the events of their day without the interruption of TV. Judy was a wonderful cook and especially excelled at pies and other desserts. Week nights were busy with hockey practice for Mike and running Allie to the stable to ride her horse. Winter weekends were busy with hockey. Besides the children's activities, the family had season tickets to the Grand Rapids Owls. Frank and Judy were avid Red Wing and Griffin fans. They rarely missed a Griffin's game and had season tickets in the first row of the balcony at center ice.

When Frank and Judy found out that they were going to be grandparents for the first time, they decided to leave Ada after nearly 20 years. They built a home in Comstock Park to be closer to Allie. Judy thoroughly enjoyed picking out everything for their dream home.

Another of Judy's great "loves" was for country music, more particularly Billy Ray Cyrus. Judy had a large collection of country music CDs and taped every appearance Billy Ray made on TV. She and Frank attended every concert he held in Michigan and she was one of his first fan club members. She also enjoyed his television show Doc and Hannah Montana.

Judy loved to shop. She was very good at getting the bags into the house and everything put away before Frank had a clue what had been added to her wardrobe. She was especially fond of shoes, purses, watches, and anything from Chicos. Her granddaughters also loved to shop with Grandma because they always came home with something, whether or not they needed it. Judy finally got a horse for herself when Allison was in high school. The horse was a black Morgan named Caramuru. Then came Shianne, a black and white mare, and finally her current horse Follow Me Roam (named after Billy Ray's horse Roam). In addition to her horses, she dearly loved her golden retrievers, Cody and Shanny.

The family enjoyed many vacations together. The only vacation Frank and Judy took alone was a cruise for their 25th wedding anniversary. In February, 2005, Judy insisted on taking her children and granddaughters to Disney World before her disease progressed further. A fun time was had by all and brought Judy a lot of joy to see the excitement of her granddaughters.

Judy was a loving and devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She was always there for anyone at anytime, not because she had to be, but because she wanted to share fully in the lives of the people she loved. Judy always put her children and family first. She will be truly missed.

Judy Ann Bloom age 65 of Comstock Park, passed away on August 23, 2006. She was preceded in death by her daughter Michelle Renee, parents Max and Christine (Jarvis) Barr, sister Louise Klingensmith, and brother Max "Don" Barr. Judy is survived by her husband Frank; children Allison Medendorp and Michael (Karen) Bloom; grandchildren Jenna and Kaitlin Medendorp and Ashley and Madison Bloom; sister Patricia (Carl) Handlovits; sisters-in-law Katrine (John) Oatley and Patricia Barr; and brother-in-law Gale Klingensmith. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, August 28, at Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes - Alt and Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Drive, NW. Friends may meet her family on Sunday, August 27, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to ALS Association of West Michigan or Visiting Nurse Hospice. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a favorite memory or photo or to sign the online guestbook.