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Bloch was born Jan. 2, 1921, in Walla Walla, Wash., to Ruth (Steele) Bemis and Samuel Flagg Bemis IV. She lived in Sevres, France for several years of her youth, and traveled extensively in South America in her teens. She returned to pursue Latin American studies at Mount Holyoke, becoming a second-generation Phi Beta Kappa graduate in 1942.
She worked as a cryptanalyst for the Department of the Navy during World War II. After receiving a Masters in nursing from Yale in 1946, she was a public health and visiting nurse in various capacities in Connecticut until she devoted herself to family and home.
She married Peter K Bloch in 1950, and they lived in Old Greenwich. During her 55 years of residence there, she was committed to civic service and the Democratic Party. She served on the Board of Health, as a representative to Town Meeting for 20 years, and as president of the Democratic Women's Club. She was the director of the Greenwich Oral History Project and became a TESOL teacher after further studies at Teachers College, Columbia University's Manhattanville campus. After her divorce, she carefully researched continuing care communities and took residence at Kendal in 2003. She had been living in their Health Services Community for the past year.
Bloch is survived by her children, Peter (Kathy Lowe) Bloch of New London, N.H., Tawwaba (Jennifer) Bloch of Berkeley, Calif., and Roger (Cindy) Bloch of Houston, Texas; and three grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held July 13 at 2 p.m. in the Gathering Room at Kendal - 80 Lyme Road, Hanover, N.H.
Donations may be made to Vermont Public TV, VT Public Radio, or NH Public radio.
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