Richard Ansley Bloomberg

Richard Ansley Bloomberg was born n Cleveland, Ohio, July 25,1917, and died in Tigrd, Oregon, June 9, 2015. He studied physics at Case Institute of Technology and MIT. He applied his knowledge of chemistry to repair castings for the U.S. Navy during WWII. He married Carolyn Strauss in 1942. They lived in San Francisco during the war, and moved back to Cleveland where they had three children: Dan, Judith and Ellen. In 1955 the family moved to California, where Richard began a career in aerospace with Hughes, Litton, TRW and Space Technology Labs, doing quality control for electronic devices and circuits. He was divorced in 1965. In 1968 he married Ernestine Schleich. In the 1970s they moved to Bonn, Germany where he worked for several years. He then retired and they moved to the farm in Southern France in a 250 year old stone farmhouse. After 2 years, they sold the farm, moved back to Munich and he resumed working for a few years for MBB which is a space exploration company. Then he retired for good and they moved to Oregon, first Eugene and then Tigard. A highlight of their summers in Eugene was Helmut Rilling's annual Oregon Bach Festival. Richard's knowledge of 18th and 19th century classical music, from Mozart to Gilbert and Sullivan was encyclopedic. He instilled his love for it in his children. Starting at an early age, he always had two questions when music came over the radio: who wrote it and what is it? He took up the recorder and cello in the early 1960s, and he and Ernestine played with other amateurs for many years after he retired. They also enjoyed singing in many chorus groups over the years. Richard also enjoyed the outdoors -- hiking, camping, identifying trees and shrubs, and even rock collecting in quarries. He jogged on country roads in France, to the amusement of local farmers who couldn't imagine using all that energy for non-farming activities. Richard remained active and healthy to the end of his long life. He outlived most of his contemporaries, but was happy to have friends young enough to be his children. He also played tennis and golf, being an amateur golf champion in his youth and still played into his 80's. He is survived by his wife Ernestine of 47 years, by his children Dan Bloomberg (Irene), Ellen (Phil) Levy, Judith (Tom) Lyons, four grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. His wry sense of humor and his genuine, sincere interest in others will be truly missed. Epitaph An honest man here lies at rest, The friend of man, the friend of truth, The friend of age, and guide of youth: Few hearts like his, with virtue warmed, Few heads with knowledge so informed; If there’s another world, he lives in bliss; If there is none, he made the best of this. Robert Burns