1940
Francesca
2014
Francesca Bleick
November 23, 1940 — February 18, 2014
FRANCESCA KEMP BLEICK "Chessie" age 73, passed away peacefully in Cleveland following a struggle with cancer on February 18, 2014. She is survived by husband Edgar Carl Bleick, Jr.; her son Edgar Carl Bleick III (Mary "Missy" Grace Bleick) and her daughter Francesca "Chesca" Bleick Hadden (Edward "Kenny" Kenneth Hadden IV); grandchildren Emma Grace Bleick, Calvin Jennings Bleick, Evan Mitchell Bleick, Zachary Kemp Bleick, Francesca Alexandra Hadden and Edward "Kent" Kenneth Hadden V; brother-in-law George Goodwin (sister Molly Bliss Goodwin, deceased); niece Sally Goodwin Connolly (Sean Connolly) and nephew Richard Goodwin (Molly McGuigan); and brother Phillip Bliss. Chessie is predeceased by her mother, Francesca "Chess" Moore Kemp Bliss; her father, Evan Jennings Kemp; her brother, Evan "Van" Jennings Kemp, Jr.; her father, Charles "Bill" William Bliss; and sister Sarah Bliss.
Chessie was born in Cleveland on November 23, 1940. She attended Roxboro, Laurel School, and Colorado College. Following her graduation, she returned to her hometown, taking a job working as a librarian for General Electric. In 1963, she married Edgar Bleick and settled into life on Delaware Drive in Cleveland Heights. She and Ed worked together for many years at K&E, the company they own that manufactures a specialty chemical used to clean cathedrals and other historic stone buildings. A longtime civic leader dedicated to the improvement of Cleveland Heights, Chessie was the founder of Friends of Cain Park, one of the founders of The Heights Fund, and PTA president at Roxboro Elementary and Roxboro Middle School. Chessie served as chairman of the House Operations Committee of the Junior League and was a dedicated member of the Cleveland Botanical Garden and helped with the club's legendary White Elephant Sale. She volunteered for more than a decade at the Nearly New Shop, which benefited the Cleveland Sight Center. She was once voted "Kiwanian of the Year" by the Kiwanis Club and ran for city council of Cleveland Heights in 1995. She was an epic booster of Cleveland Heights ice hockey, having two generations of exceptional Bleick hockey players under her wings; as recently as this year, Chessie was the top seller of fundraising wreaths for the Heights hockey team. Chessie traveled extensively internationally and managed to visit every place she intended to, with the exception of the Arctic and the Antarctic. She was a longtime member of the Cleveland Skating Club, where she played bridge and swam daily. An avid needlepointer, she was always secretly working on a canvas for a loved one. Chessie was a magnificent cook and host; her New Year's Eve parties were a tradition etched into the lives of so many of her friends and family. Her great room, which her son Carl built, was the site of countless parties and afternoon visits by her many friends and family members. She was the glue that held her community together, and she will be greatly missed.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at 4:30 pm at Forest Hill Church, Presbyterian in Cleveland Heights. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial gift to the Forest Hill Church Endowment Fund, 3031 Monticello Blvd., Cleveland Heights, OH 44118.
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Chessie was born in Cleveland on November 23, 1940. She attended Roxboro, Laurel School, and Colorado College. Following her graduation, she returned to her hometown, taking a job working as a librarian for General Electric. In 1963, she married Edgar Bleick and settled into life on Delaware Drive in Cleveland Heights. She and Ed worked together for many years at K&E, the company they own that manufactures a specialty chemical used to clean cathedrals and other historic stone buildings. A longtime civic leader dedicated to the improvement of Cleveland Heights, Chessie was the founder of Friends of Cain Park, one of the founders of The Heights Fund, and PTA president at Roxboro Elementary and Roxboro Middle School. Chessie served as chairman of the House Operations Committee of the Junior League and was a dedicated member of the Cleveland Botanical Garden and helped with the club's legendary White Elephant Sale. She volunteered for more than a decade at the Nearly New Shop, which benefited the Cleveland Sight Center. She was once voted "Kiwanian of the Year" by the Kiwanis Club and ran for city council of Cleveland Heights in 1995. She was an epic booster of Cleveland Heights ice hockey, having two generations of exceptional Bleick hockey players under her wings; as recently as this year, Chessie was the top seller of fundraising wreaths for the Heights hockey team. Chessie traveled extensively internationally and managed to visit every place she intended to, with the exception of the Arctic and the Antarctic. She was a longtime member of the Cleveland Skating Club, where she played bridge and swam daily. An avid needlepointer, she was always secretly working on a canvas for a loved one. Chessie was a magnificent cook and host; her New Year's Eve parties were a tradition etched into the lives of so many of her friends and family. Her great room, which her son Carl built, was the site of countless parties and afternoon visits by her many friends and family members. She was the glue that held her community together, and she will be greatly missed.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at 4:30 pm at Forest Hill Church, Presbyterian in Cleveland Heights. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial gift to the Forest Hill Church Endowment Fund, 3031 Monticello Blvd., Cleveland Heights, OH 44118.
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