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JOANNE AZEN BLOOM 1932 - 2020 "She was not only the love of my life, but my guide, my rock, my advisor, and mentor. She taught me how to live and to love. She made me the man I am today." - Tommy Tanzer. Joanne Azen Bloom passed peacefully with Tommy Tanzer, her partner and husband of 45 years, at her side on Friday, April 17. Thursday night she lucidly and confidently made the decision that her time had come and that her long battle with cancer was about to end. She will be missed by her three children, four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, 40 cousins, 15 nieces and nephews, and especially by Tommy, her friends, and her 104 year-old Aunt Helen Azen. Joanne lived a very full life, and she loved people. She had a great sense of humor and could tell a joke about any topic. She especially liked telling stories and was proud of her writing accomplishments. In the last four years she published a memoir ("Safe at Home") and a collection of short stories ("Woman in a Snowbank"), which represented forty-five years of writing. Joanne loved reading and participating in her book clubs. She shared great wisdom accumulated from both her experiences and observations of life. She and Tommy moved to Park City in 1978 where they worked as educators and enjoyed life in the mountains. In 1984, Tommy became a baseball agent and Joanne traveled extensively to baseball parks all over the country with him. She was an integral partner in his business, at his side both at home and on the road sometimes amounting to ten months a year. She did the accounting, kept things organized, and her greatest contribution (other than babysitting Tommy and keeping him focused) was charming the wives and families of the potential clients. Joanne loved the beauty of Utah, golfing, skiing, and having moose in her backyard. Her home was filled with family photographs, some over a hundred years old. Her Jewish faith was very important to her, and she was an active member of Temple Har Shalom since its founding in 1995. Joanne was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 1, 1932 in McGee Hospital. Tommy and all three of Joanne's children were born in the same hospital. Her children are Jan Bloom, Ph. D. (Keith Zimmerman) of Fort Pierce, Florida; Dr. Richard Bloom (Susan Bloom) of Barnstable, Massachusetts; and Lauren Bloom (Tom Schmitt) of Salt Lake City, Utah. Her grandchildren are Lauren Pascone (Stephen), Mike Miller, Erica Miller, and Alicia Bloom. Her great-grandchildren are Eden, Preston, Hyrum, and Levi Van Orman; and Shelby and Sadie Stults. Joanne was an only child but had a large extended family across the U.S. and in Japan, Israel, and France. Burial and a virtual memorial service were held Monday, April 20, in Park City. The Shiva was held virtually the next day. Thanks to the many great doctors, nurses, infusion team members, technicians, secretaries, greeters, and all others of the Huntsman Cancer Institute who made Joanne's life so comfortable for the last ten years that she was intermittently a patient. Special thanks to Dr. Anna Beck, Dr. David Gaffney, and Dr. Martha Glenn who prolonged the length and quality of Joanne's life. Also thanks to Dr. Stephen Miller of Intermountain Heart and to Dr. Stephen Coleman, her primary care doctor and friend for thirty years. Our preference for donations in Joanne's memory would be to Bright Futures c/o Park City Education Foundation, PO Box 681422, Park City, Utah, 84068, 435-615-0235, pcef4kids.org, or Temple Har Shalom, 3700 North Brookside Court, Park City, Utah, 84060, 435-649-2276, or Huntsman Cancer Foundation, 500 Huntsman Way, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84108. Send condolences post-gazette.com/gb
