Activist remembered for generosity

Services for community activist, businesswoman and photographer Chloe Blom will be Sunday and Monday at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach.

Blom died Friday after battling pancreatic cancer for the past year. A longtime Newport Beach resident, Blom was 63.

“She was just a rare person that everyone loved, and she had the magical quality of drawing people to her,� her husband John Blom said.

“She was just a remarkable human being. She was able to appreciate the simple things in life that so many of us take for granted, like a beautiful day or a sunset, the smiles of her grandchildren,� John Blom said.

Blom was an active parishioner at Our Lady Queen of Angels and served as a Eucharistic minister there. She also was on the board of the directors of the Costa Mesa-based Serving People In Need, which offers substance abuse recovery and housing programs for the homeless and working poor in Orange County.

“As we lose special people in Newport, I wonder how many people realize how much of a big part of Newport we lose,� said Jean Wegener, executive director of Serving People In Need. “Chloe is one of those people who is such a part of Newport that it is going to be such a huge loss.�

Blom had been an active advocate and fundraiser for the nonprofit for the past six years and organized fundraising luncheons featuring celebrity speakers.

“She was a generous person, and always urging others to be the same way and to care more and to be kind,� Wegener said.

Blom and her husband owned and operated John L. Blom Custom Photography in Corona del Mar. An award-winning photographer, she also was a published poet and English teacher. Blom is survived by John Blom, daughters Mara and Emily, son Noah, six grandchildren, 10 brothers and sisters and 28 nieces and nephews.

A rosary service will be at 7 p.m. Sunday at Our Lady Queen of Angels. A funeral mass will be at 11 a.m. Monday, followed by a reception at the Pacific Club. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Serving People In Need, 151 Kalmus Drive, H-2; Costa Mesa, CA 92626; www.spinoc.org.