Dorothy E. Bloom, age 97 of White Sulphur Springs, passed away Friday, March 28, 2014, in White Sulphur Springs, Montana. Dorothy’s parents, Lester Edward Lilley, and Anna Marie Ebner Lilley, arrived in Montana from Pennsylvania in 1908, and homesteaded in the Living Springs area in 1909. Dorothy was the seventh of 12 children born to that union. She was born on June 20, 1916 at the farmhouse in Living Springs. She grew up in the Living Springs area until 1928, when the family moved to Garneill, just East of Buffalo. Dorothy attended high school in Buffalo, and graduated in 1932, as Valedictorian of her class.
She and her sister Edna attended Normal School in Billings, and were both soon teaching in rural schools. Dorothy met her future husband, Frederick (Fred) Vernon Bloom, and they were married on January 2, 1937. They lived in Bee Hive for a while, and during the summers Fred worked in Yellowstone Park, where they lived in a tent. Soon they moved to Buffalo, where Fred was involved in a coal mine, and they drove school bus during the winter.
In 1950, they moved to the Denton area, where they farmed. In 1955, they moved to Coffee Creek, and spent the summer in Hanna, Wyoming. They lived in various places in Montana, including Libby, Great Falls, Moccasin and Stanford, and in 1958 moved to Fairbanks, Alaska. It was in Fairbanks that Dorothy found the Lord, and became a devout Christian. They lived in Fairbanks and Livengood, Alaska, until Fred frosted his lungs, and decided they should move back to the lower 48 states. They settled in White Sulphur Springs in 1964.
Dorothy taught school at the Checkerboard School, and the Martinsdale and Springdale Hutterite Colonies, commuting from White Sulphur Springs.
Fred died on April 12, 1978. He and Dorothy were the parents of five children. Rosalie Ann Bloom Rybachek; Richard Vernon Bloom (d. 6/2/1948); Elizabeth Pearl Bloom Selvig Mitchell (d. 1/15/2011); Henry Edward Bloom, and Deborah Jo Lilley-Bloom. Dorothy is survived, in addition to her three living children, by five grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren.
Dorothy loved the Lord and served him with delight. She was a joy to be around with her positive attitude. She had a constant desire to help anyone in need. She loved the outdoors and for many years chose to walk most everywhere (rather than to drive). She was noted for her delicious baked bread, cinnamon rolls, and generosity (to a fault). She touched many lives with her ready smile, and her gracious manner. Having lived through the great depression, it was hard for her to part with many things – most importantly, friends. She still corresponded with people she knew before going to grade school, and with many many others that she met over the years. Her Christmas list always seemed to grow. Dorothy had the redeeming quality of being able to laugh at herself. She had compassion for the sick and elderly and was known by the staff at Mountainview Medical Center for visiting her many friends that were residents, and patients in the hospital. In the last few years, when she was not physically able to do much visiting, she spent hours and hours praying for her family, many missionaries, and friends. Above all things, she loved her Lord, her family, and her church. She was a member of the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church. Dorothy will be missed by her family, extended church family, and friends.
Visitation for Dorothy will be from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 2nd, at Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, 103 E. Garfield, White Sulphur Springs, Montana. A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 3rd at the Christian Missionary Alliance Church, in White Sulphur Springs with a reception to follow at the White Sulphur Springs Senior Center, 101 1st Ave SE. Burial will take place at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, April 3rd at the Straw Cemetery, Buffalo, Montana. Please visit below to offer the family condolences or to share a memory of Dorothy.
Service Schedule
Visitation
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday April 2, 2014
Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home
103 E. Garfield
White Sulphur Springs, Montana 59645
Funeral Service
1:00 p.m.
Thursday April 3, 2014
Christian Missionary Alliance Church
White Sulphur Springs, Montana 59645
Reception
Following the Funeral Service
Thursday April 3, 2014
White Sulphur Springs Senior Center
White Sulphur Springs, Montana 59645
Service Schedule
Visitation
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday April 2, 2014
Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home
103 E. Garfield
White Sulphur Springs, Montana 59645
Funeral Service
1:00 p.m.
Thursday April 3, 2014
Christian Missionary Alliance Church
White Sulphur Springs, Montana 59645
Reception
Following the Funeral Service
Thursday April 3, 2014
White Sulphur Springs Senior Center
White Sulphur Springs, Montana 59645
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Curtis G Cotant says
Mrs. Bloom was one of the greatest people I have ever met – that’s always said of people when they pass, in this case, I don’t know of anyone who would disagree. I didn’t realize it as a kid being taught by her, but looking back, she was one of the all around great ones that you never forget – very few if any can compete with her. God bless you Mrs. Bloom, you will be missed. Curt Cotant.