Obituary: Mollie Mary (Esser) Blied - Class of 1913

MADISON - Mollie Mary Blied, age 106, died Tuesday, December 19, 2000 at Meriter Hospital. One of eight children, she was born Mollie Esser in 1894 in Ashton, Wisconsin.And then, over the course of 106 years and three centuries, Mollie lived a wonderful lifeand touched many people. After graduating from Madison Central High School, Mollie took a job at UW and later worked at the Capitol in the public property office. She married Gregory Blied in 1917 and together they worked at the family business, Blied Printers in Madison. They had two children, Doris and Gregory; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. They were married until Gregory passed away in 1943. During their marriage and after his death, Mollie embraced life and all that it had to offer. Her hobbies raised countless eyebrows: bridge, bingo, poker, bowling, and choir, of course, but those are the simple ones. Hockey, one-armed bandits, Friday fish frys, Frivolous Fawn, our loving friends at Sylvan Crossings, Blackhawk, train and boat rides, travel, champagne brunches, Nitty Gritty lunches, Baileys. Las Vegas, softball in Cross Plains, Badgers football at Camp Randall, tailgating, kisses from Bucky, parking cars at Van Hise, sunsets on the Florida beach, Jacuzzis, massages, Y2K at the Orange Bowl in Miami; these are the hobbies we all loved to do with her and she loved to remember. And all but three were in the last two years. Everywhere she went, and every person she touched, left the experience better for it. And from the inner circle, and with the customary respect, “we rub your bottom.” And in the end, it seems fitting to pass along her longtime philosophy: “Keep breathing.” And that philosophy took her through three centuries, 19 presidents, the dawn of electricity, automobiles, aviation, the Internet and space; overall, a road not traveled by many. Godspeed to you, Mollie Blied, from those you touched. Thanks for the memories. A funeral Mass will be held on Friday, December 22, 2000 at ST RAPHAEL’S CATHEDRAL in Madison. Expressions of sympathy are being accepted and appreciated in Mollie’s name by the East Madison/Monona Coalition of the Aging, Inc., 4644 Cottage Grove Road, Madison, WI 53716, which works closely with elder care.

Originally published in the Wisconsin State Journal on December 20, 2000

Note: Mollie Mary Blied's class year is based on information in Tychoberahn yearbooks