Services will be held Saturday, Feb. 15, for Marion Anne Robbins Bloomer, a Central High School grad who made lasting contributions to Knoxville and beyond. The family will receive friends at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel, 6200 Kingston Pike, from 11 a.m. to noon with services at noon, led by the Rev. Pat Clendenen. Graveside farewell for family and friends immediately following with a release of doves and prayers.
Mrs. Bloomer, 88, was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Kenneth Raymond Bloomer, a civil engineer.
She was a trendsetter even in high school where she played flute in the band at a time when only boys could march on the field during football games. She and her brother, John Findley Robbins Jr., studied the marimba, an instrument similar to a xylophone, but native to Guatemala. While still in high school, Marion became a member of the percussion section of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.
She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from the University of Tennessee and studied Latin America in graduate school at the University of Texas. Ken obtained his degree from UT and worked for Texaco for 33 years in New Orleans, France and Denmark. Ken and Marion retired and returned to Knoxville in 1990. She quickly became active in Ossoli Circle, Knox County Council of Garden Clubs and Church Street United Methodist Church. Additional obituary information is here.