John Bloom 1930-2006

My dad passed away on Wednesday morning, April 12th. He was 75 years young. He was born on the easy to remember 10-20-30, which always got a chuckle out of people when he had to give his birthday. He died of Mesothelioma, a nasty lung cancer related to asbestos exposure. We do not know where his exposure came, and must have been indirect. He first went to the hospital on Dec 30th with shortness of breath, which turned out to be pneumonia, and has been in and out of the hospital and rehab centers ever since.

He was a sportsman while growing up, enjoying hunting and fishing. He had some terrific stories to tell about his hunting trips like dumping a borrowed shotgun into a lake (and later having someone retrieve it and passing it on to me) and nearly burning down an island. However, once he married and had kids, we were his passion.

As a father, he was always involved in his kids and family's activities. We played catch daily, and he came to my games to watch or coach. He was an Indian Guide and Boy Scout assistant.

We took family vacations up to visit my grand parents every summer. Along the way, we tried to do something different each time.

He worked at Peavey Company all his working life, a great work ethic that he passed on to his kids.

He switched roles to grandfather very easily. Every year, he rented a cabin for the whole family to be together at the end of the summer. It is a tradition that we looked forward to every year, as did he.

I’ll miss my Dad.

Ray