Obituaries

Joan Gabrielle Bluhm

Photo of Joan Gabrielle Bluhm
Joan Gabrielle Bluhm, 85, of Bella Vista, Ark., died Friday, Nov. 2, 2012, at Circle of Life Hospice in Bentonville. She was born Oct. 23, 1927, in Cleethorpes, England, the daughter of Fred Simpson Pullen and Maude Green Pullen. She survived the German bombings of World War II, and following WWII, in England she married Reyno L. Ross of the U.S. Air Force. They sailed to the U.S. on the Queen Elizabeth and settled in Borger, Texas. A job transfer brought them to Pasadena, Texas, where they raised three children. In the early 1950s, she courageously battled paralytic polio for one year and fully recovered. Joan worked as an executive secretary for Ryerson Steel after the children were grown. In January of 1979, her second marriage in Houston, Texas, was to William C. Bluhm, a Shell engineer. After retirement they moved to Bella Vista, Ark., in 1985. She enjoyed dancing, golf, gardening, snow-skiing, shopping with her daughter and especially, traveling. The latter included several trips to England to visit family, to Germany, Morocco, Hawaii and Alaska. She was extremely fond of her 5-year-old long-haired grey cat, Smoky. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister and oldest son. She is survived by her husband, William C. Bluhm of Bella Vista, Ark.; brother, Horace Neville Pullen of England; daughter, Valerie Anne Ross of Houston, Texas, son and daughter-in-law, Stephen and Laura Ross of Pasadena, Texas; nephew, Glenn Pullen; and niece, Joan Avril Pullen in England; three grandchildren, Raquel Ann Ross of Portales, N.M., Crystal Ross Pope of Sugarland, Texas, Christopher Daniel Ross of Pasadena, Texas; and three great-grandchildren, Andrew Tyler Underbrink, Kaitlynne Nicole Underbrink of Portales, N.M., and Brady Jackson Pope of Sugarland, Texas. A memorial service will be announced at a later date by the family. Memorials may be sent to the Alzheimer's Association or to the Circle of Life Hospice. On-line condolences may be made at www.funeralmation.com

Published November 4, 2012

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