Kathleen Elim's Obituary
Kathleen Sharon Elim (née Reichel) passed away peacefully on February 14, 2023, at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Her big and loving heart finally gave out on Valentine's Day because she had given it all away to the many people she touched in her lifetime.
She often commented that her autobiography would have been entitled “The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Woman”. The story of her life was that of an avid reader and world traveler who had an adventurous spirit and a love for all.
The first chapter of her book would have started with her home birth in Queens, New York, on Mother’s Day, May 9, 1937, to John and Kathleen Reichel. She arrived 17 months after her sister and life-long best friend, Maureen. Those two girls were later joined by their sisters Eileen and Deborah. Her first 5 years were spent living near extended family in Queens. After her father joined the Army, following the US entrance into WWII, the rest of the family moved in with a variety of relatives until he returned in 1945. Soon after, the family moved to Connecticut where Kathleen attended school, graduating from Stratford High School in 1955. She was a bright, popular student, liked and admired by teachers and students alike. After graduation she held a variety of jobs, taking time out to travel and explore places outside of Connecticut.
The next chapter of her life started when she ventured to the nation’s capital in 1959 and met Raga Elim. Raga’s background (from Egypt) and global vision (Doctorate in International Development and Founder of the Universities in the Quest for Peace) was a perfect fit for her wanderlust. They married in 1960 and together they explored all corners of the world, while residing in Washington, D.C.; San German, Puerto Rico, Houston, Texas; Rome, Italy; Binghamton, New York; Kent, Ohio; McLean, Virginia; Mogadishu, Somalia; and Anchorage, Alaska. During those 30 years together, they had three children (Raga Jr., Marc, and Tamra “Sunshine”), who were the center of their lives.
The final chapter started when she met and subsequently married Jim Bleecker (who had three adult children, Kenny, Doug, and David) on July 4, 1992. They built a beautiful life and home at Lake Anna in Virginia, where they enjoyed the scenery and activity on the lake front. Whether on the water in their pontoon, golfing at the Tanyard Country Club with Jim, or doing real estate around the lake, Kate was a fixture at Lake Anna. In fact, she is noted for taking the initiative and organizing the 25-year anniversary of the man-made Lake Anna, that was culminated by a spectacular fireworks show that has now become an annual tradition.
The summary of her life story is that she had a zest for life and a profound love for all. Her zest for life was reflected in her travels which took her to all 50 states and to all 7 continents, including Antarctica when she was age 69.
Her generous and loving heart was shared with her family – husbands, children (and spouses), grandchildren Reese, Allegra, Sean, Autumn, Merrick, McKenzie, Max, Jennifer, John, Juliana, Carsen and Wyatt, great granddaughter Laurel Lee, and all of her extended family – with her many dear friends, and with the many charitable organizations she supported.
To honor her spirit and memory, a celebration of her life is planned for Tuesday, April 25th at Found & Sons Funeral Chapel of Fredericksburg at 2:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a charitable contribution to Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank (https://fredfood.org/), one of her preferred charities, in recognition of Kathleen Elim.
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