Pamela Zoe (Neese) Bloomquist

Pamela Zoe (Neese) Bloomquist

Cedar Rapids

Pamela Zoe (Neese) Bloomquist, 92, of Cedar Rapids, died peacefully on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023, at Hiawatha Care Center. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10, at the Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories, with a visitation beginning one hour prior, starting at 2 p.m. The burial will be held at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery.

Pamela was born Aug. 26, 1930, in Stratford, Iowa, to Clifford and Mable (Crouse) Neese. She graduated from Stratford High School in 1948, where she was known as “Scrappy” on her basketball team. Following graduation, she entered the St. Luke’s Nursing program, graduating in 1951. Before graduating nursing school, she married Charles (Red) Bloomquist, June 26, 1951. After they were married, she worked at the Boone hospital for a year and then moved to Barksdale Air Force base in Shreveport, La., where Charles was stationed, where she was known as “Pandora” as a surgical nurse at the hospital in Shreveport. In 1952 they moved back to the Cedar Rapids area to where she continued her career as a nurse at St. Luke’s Hospital as a surgical nurse, then floater nurse and ending up being a nurse on the OB West floor. During her time on the OB West floor, she was able to care for her granddaughters when they were born as well. Pamela ended up retiring in 1991 from St. Luke’s Hospital.

She loved to cross-stitch, do word searches, she took up the gazette crossword puzzle after Charles passed away and making sure she had her daily talks with her son, Curt. She loved to go to bible study, she sang in the Sweet Adelines choir, and loved to have lunch at Scott’s Family Restaurant with Charles. A highlight of their life was their trip to Europe and vacations with their granddaughter.

She was a lifelong democrat. Pamela grew up Baptist, she did her bible study and went to church at Cedar Valley Bible Church in Cedar Rapids.

Pamela is survived by her two children, Curtis (Gale) Bloomquist of Hiawatha, Iowa; and Gayle Sjoerdsma of Colorado Springs, Colo.; her beloved grandchildren, Stacey (Mitch) Glew of Vinton, Iowa; Lynnea (Jared) Gibbs of Issaquah, Wash.; Wesley (Sidney) Sjoerdsma and Caleb (Abby) Sjoerdsma both of Colorado Springs, Colo.; along with two great-grandchildren, Meadow and Maddox Glew; one step great-grandchild, Max Rainey; a sister, Kathryn Reed; sister-in-laws, Nancy Neese, Sharon Bloomquist, Mary Bloomquist, Maddy Bloomquist and Joann Grimm; brothers-in-law, Harry, Dennis and Keith Bloomquist; along with many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Bloomquist, July 2017; beloved granddaughter, Katey ‘Bug’ Lyn Bloomquist, in 1997; her parents; mother and father-in-law, Arnold and Mabel (Olson) Bloomquist; brother, Paul Neese; brothers-in-law, Milford Bloomquist, Dick Reed and Leonard Grimm; and sisters-in-law, Lennie Bloomquist and Phyllis Reed.

Special thanks to Dr Maryanne Nelson, for caring for our mother and grandmother throughout all the years, Hiawatha Care Center especially Crystal and Dimples, along with the rest of the staff, she always had a fun time!

Memorials may be made to Hiawatha Care Center and Cedar Valley Bible Church in memory of Pamela.

Online condolences may be directed to the family at www.cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.