March 31, 2005

Obituary

Hans J. “Jack” Blum
March 1920 – March 2005

Former Almaden Valley resident Hans J. “Jack” Blum, 84, of Acampo, Calif. passed away on March 24 at home following an extended illness.

The Blum family

Hans Jacob “Jack” Blum was born on March 26, 1920 in Euclid, “Cleveland” Ohio. He began his engineering studies at General Motors Institute in Flint, Mich. in 1939. With the interruption of WWII, he enlisted in Naval Midshipman’s School at the University of Notre Dame. From September 1943 to June 1946 he served in the U.S. Navy as a line officer specialist in ship repair and as a Gyro Compass Officer.

He met his future bride Anne Blaisdell of Port Orchard, Wash. performing at a music concert where he was directing the men’s chorus and Anne was the guest soloist. They were married in June of 1945. Jack graduated from General Motors Institute with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. The couple settled in the Almaden Valley in the 1960s while Jack established his own business Sierra Tool & Mfg. & Pressed Metals Inc. in Santa Clara.

“We as a family grew up in the Almaden Valley and lived in the Almaden Country Club neighborhood in the 60s thru the 70s,” said Jack’s daughter Melanie Molle. “My father built our home in the 60s and we lived on Olive Branch Lane. My siblings and I went to schools there. I attended the original Almaden School (where the Toys R Us is located today); Bret Harte; and Leland High School. My brother graduated from Leland in 1968. I graduated later in class of 73. My dad sold his home in 1973, from there we moved to San Martin while he relocated his business to Calaveras County (Wallace).”

Molle remembers fondly her dad’s passion for golf and the many days spent on the links at the Almaden Golf and Country Club. “He had one of his first “holes-in-one” there,” says Molle. “I used to caddy for him there as a child and spent many a summer sunning and swimming with my friends at the Country Club pool.”

Jack designed and built the original tooling and first production of the Peterbilt “Texas Bumper.” Jack moved these companies to Wallace, Calif. in 1973.

Hans J. “Jack” Blum

Jack and Anne were passionate music lovers and faithful choir member of the First United Methodist churches in Cambrian Park and later when they reestablished in Lodi. They toured Europe with the Santa Clara Chorale in the late 60s. In 1978, Jack was selected along with a team of consultant specialists by the U.S. government to assist the fledgling South Korean metal working industry.

Jack and Ann enjoyed 55 years of marriage until she died from Parkinson’s disease in 2001.

Jack is survived by son John Blum of Acampo; daughter Melanie Mollé of San Jose, and two grandsons Nick and Daniel Mollé; and daughter Carole Blum of Glendale, Calif. and granddaughter Pamela Glazier.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, April 3 in Lodi. Memorials can be made to First United Methodist Church, Memorial Fund, 200 West Oak Street, Lodi, Calif. 95240.