Kendrick Lee & Dixie Lee Bloom

Kendrick Lee and Dixie Lee (Hill) Bloom, both of Fountain, FL, formerly of Paxton, IL, have passed away. Dixie passed away on July 11, 2018, and Lee passed away on March 30, 2019, both in Fountain, FL. Lee was born on February 14, 1935, in Harrisburg, PA, the son of Frampton and Lillian Bloom. Dixie was born on August 9, 1935, in Martinton, IL, the daughter of Leroy and Elizabeth (Nordstrom) Hill. Lee and Dixie met in Paxton in 1954, at a downtown dance hall. At the time, Lee was stationed at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, and Dixie was a Senior in High School. Lee and Dixie were married on June 4, 1954, in Rockville, IN, and were the parents of three children. Their oldest son, Randy Lee Bloom, passed away in 1968. They are survived by their son and daughter-in-law, Curtis Lee and Lisa Gerdes Bloom of rural Fisher; a daughter, Lauren Lea Bloom of Clearwater, FL; two grandchildren, Derek Allen (Stephanie) Bloom of Paxton, and Danielle Marie (Candy Shaffer) Bloom Richards of Robinson, IL; two step-grandchildren, Jamie Lynn Bull (Jonathan) Birkey of Fisher, and Ashton Bull of IL; and six great-grandchildren, Calvin Bloom, Owen Bloom, Miles Bloom, Natalie Richards, Morgan Birkey and Conner Birkey. The couple is also survived by a sister-in-law, Joann Hill of Bloomington; a brother, Rick (Zenaida) Hill of Altha, FL; and special nephews and niece, Thad Hill, Tyler Hill, and Stacey Hill Price. Along with their son, Randy, Lee and Dixie were preceded in death by their parents, and Dixie’s brother, John Hill. Lee spent his early years in Pennsylvania and Michigan before his family moved to Tombstone, Arizona, then eventually to Douglas, Arizona. He graduated from Douglas Senior High School in 1953. Lee proudly served in the United States Air Force from 1953 until 1957. Dixie spent her early years in Loda and graduated from Buckley Loda High School in 1954. After the couple were married, they moved to Spokane, WA, where Lee was stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base. He was later stationed in Puerto Rico for two years. Lee and Dixie eventually moved back to Illinois. Lee spent 60 years in the Carpenters Union; including Carpenters Local 44, Champaign, IL, and Carpenters Local 638, Marion, IL. The couple loved spending time with family and friends, showing horses and fishing. A graveside service will be held on Saturday, June 4, 2022, at 11:00am, at Glen Cemetery in Paxton (602 E. Summer St.). In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org), in honor of Lee and Dixie.