Dolores Bluemle

Dolores "Dee" Bluemle (née Batdorf) passed away on May 3, 2019. Born in 1928 in Williamstown, Pennsylvania, Dee was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John H. Batdorf, and the eldest of their four children. Growing up, Dee was a noted scholar who read every book in the town's library, played the church organ on Sundays, and developed a lifelong love of baseball from her father. As valedictorian of her high school, Dee received a scholarship to Misericordia University. After earning her Bachelor of Science degree, she deferred a subsequent scholarship for a graduate degree in microbiology to begin working at the University of Pennsylvania.

While at Penn, Dee met and married Dr. Lewis W. "Bill" Bluemle, Jr. in 1953. For several years, Dee continued to work alongside her husband in his lab as he became Director of the Clinical Research Center and associate Dean at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. As Bill's responsibilities grew in academic medicine from the 1950's to the 1990's, he became President of Upstate Medical Center (SUNY) in Syracuse, New York, President of the University of Oregon's Health Science Center in Portland, Oregon, and President of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Dee successfully transplanted their growing family from coast to coast, creating beautiful homes and gardens for them to enjoy, before returning to Philadelphia for good in 1977. Dee was a natural at entertaining and was often the life of the party. Many of their medical colleagues in each city became friends who remain close to this day.

For the past 40 years, Bill and Dee enjoyed restoring their historic home in Bryn Mawr, where Bill was the skilled craftsman but she was definitely the boss. Dee loved nothing more than listening to a Phillies day-game on the radio as she worked in her garden alongside her trusty dog on a sunny summer day. She raised her children to love books and knowledge, although none of them could match her ability to quote Shakespeare or reference ancient history. Dee and Bill ended their weeks together on Friday afternoons at the Philadelphia Orchestra, and enjoyed (rare) vacations at their second home in Avalon, New Jersey.

After supporting them for so many years, Dee was beautifully cared for by her husband, children and friends in the later years of her life. In addition to her parents John H. and Isabelle (Walkinshaw) Batdorf, Dee was predeceased by her first three children, and one brother, Lawrence (Mary) Batdorf. She is survived by Bill, her loving husband of 66 years, her brother Jack (Barbara) Batdorf and sister Lynda (George) Usuka, son Chris (Julie), daughters Lauren, Susan, and Amy (David), six grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends are invited to her viewing Friday, May 10, 2019 6:00-8:00 PM at The Donohue Funeral Home, 366 W. Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, PA 19087, 610-989-9600, followed by her Funeral Mass on Saturday, May 11, 2019 12:00 PM at St. Katharine of Siena, 104 S. Aberdeen Avenue, Wayne, PA 19087. Interment Calvary Cemetery, Conshohocken, PA.

Contributions in her memory may be made to her favorite rescue organization, Best Friends Animal Society at bestfriends.org.