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Britta Bjornlund Blum Obituary

Britta Bjornlund Blum, a cherished member of the Princeton community, passed away peacefully at her home on August 24th, 2024, at the remarkable age of 101. For nearly 65 years, Britta enriched the lives of those around her in the Princeton area with her vibrant spirit and unwavering dedication to her community. 

Born in Boston, MA, Britta entered the world under the care of her uncle, Frederick C. Irving, head of the Boston Lying-In Hospital. Her father, a Swedish chemical engineer, and her mother, a U.S. citizen and a nurse, had settled in the small town of La Tuque, Quebec, before moving to Cornwall, Ontario. For her high school education, Britta attended the Walnut Hill School in Natick, MA, where she was the editor of the school magazine and the yearbook. She later followed in her mother’s footsteps by enrolling at Smith College. During her freshman year at Smith, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Britta decided to accelerate her education. She  graduated from Smith in August of 1944, having been elected president of her accelerated class of 130 classmates. 

Following college, Britta began her career at the Office of Cable Censorship in New York City, where she worked to intercept wartime communications. After the war, her compassion led her to the American Red Cross in France and Germany. When she returned to the U.S., Britta became a staff writer at the Museum of Natural History in New York City. She then married Frederick E. Blum, a Naval Academy graduate, a pilot and a flight instructor, and a World War II veteran. Together, they lived in Honolulu, HI and Pensacola, FL, before settling in Philadelphia and eventually Princeton.

In Princeton, Britta and Fred were founding members of the Bedens Brook Club, while Britta became a prominent figure in the community. She served as President of the Princeton-area Smith Club and was actively involved in local volunteering initiatives. Her passion for tennis led her to manage publicity for the Princeton Community Tennis program. After several years there, she moved to the Office of Continuing Education at Princeton University and then decided to return to school at Rider University where she earned a master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling. Following her masters, she became the Director of College Counseling at both the Hun School in Princeton (where she worked for a total of 11 years) and the George School in Newtown, PA. 

Britta loved to travel, and her adventurous spirit took her across Europe and Africa, including a memorable safari in Kenya and a gorilla trekking expedition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). She spent her 85th birthday in Kinshasa, DRC visiting her children. Her favorite place in the world was a family-owned island on the St. Lawrence River where she spent every summer with her children, siblings, cousins, nephews and nieces, and grandchildren. In addition, she loved to ski each winter at Copper Mountain in Colorado with her children and sister, brother-in-law and their children, while she enjoyed playing tennis year-round. 

In her later years, Britta remained intellectually and socially active, engaging in editing work, playing bridge, and reading hours daily. She was a member of Princeton’s Present Day Club, a founding member of the Princeton Women’s Investment Club, a member of the Princeton Public Library Board of Trustees, and a member of the Chippewa Yacht Club in the Thousand Islands. Britta’s primary focus was always her family, who, despite geographical distances, spent a good deal of time visiting her. Britta is survived by her son, Daniel Blum, of Boulder, CO; her daughter Cynthia Carroll and her son-in-law David Carroll of Naples, FL; and her daughter Lauren Blum and her son-in-law Victor Bushamuka of Baltimore, MD. She also leaves behind her beloved grandchildren, Britta, Carin, Benjamin, and Kerstin Carroll, and William and Daniel Bushamuka. Britta’s enduring legacy of love, resilience, and adventure will continue to inspire all who knew her.