By Ron Hayes MANALAPAN — Maureen and Peter Blum were baptized in
the same church as children, met in high school, wed young and
remained devoted to each other through 60 years of married life.
“She was the love of my life,” said her husband, a town
commissioner since 1973. “We married young, but we both had good
families who loved us both, so that was part of our success.” Mrs.
Blum passed away Jan. 30 at Hospice by the Sea in Boca Raton, seven
months after suffering a stroke. She was 78 and had lived in
Manalapan since 1971. With her husband, Mrs. Blum opened Blums of
Boca Raton, an interior design studio, in 1963. “We were in
business together for 30-odd years,” Peter Blum said. “She was a
brilliant designer with the greatest taste and feel for fabrics and
so on. It was just a natural gift.” While her husband kept a high
public profile, serving on the Town Commission since 1973 except
for one year, Mrs. Blum treasured her privacy. “She minded the
store so I could go out in the community and do all the civic
things I love,” he explained. “She was the power behind the
throne.” After the couple’s retirement, Mrs. Blum devoted much of
her time to a passion for gardening. “She was out in the yard every
morning as soon as it got light, working with the yard people,” her
husband recalled. “Every plant was important to her. It was her
lifelong love, next to me.” Born April 4, 1930, in Peoria, Ill.,
Mrs. Blum was known as Teena to her family and friends. “She was a
lady in every way,” Peter Blum said. “Her dress was very stylish,
but never overdone, and she did her own hair and make-up.” She
visited a beauty salon only twice in her life, he recalled. “She
didn't like to hear the gossip in a beauty shop,” he explained.
“She was very reserved, a private person. She was not the kind that
went to ladies’ parties and gossiped.” In addition to her husband,
she is survived by two sons, Randy of South Bend, Ind., and Larry,
of Truth or Consequences, N.M., three grandchildren and six great
grandchildren. A fourth son, Peter III, preceded her in death. A
funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb.7, at St. Mark
Roman Catholic Church, 643 NE Fourth Ave., Boynton Beach. In lieu
of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice by the Sea, 1531 W.
Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, FL 33486. Scobee-Combs-Bowden
Funeral Home, Boynton Beach, is in charge of arrangements.
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