Barbra Loa Bloss

Barbra Loa Bloss was born in Greeley, Colorado on December 7, 1929, to Henry and Ida Reed. She died at the age of 94 on January 10, 2024, in Greeley, Colorado. She graduated from Johnstown High School in the class of 1947.

She was married to David Snyder in 1947 and had four children: Katherine, Debra, David, and Michael.

She remarried in 1969 to Jerry Bloss and resided in their Evans, Colorado home since 1998.

They adopted their five-year-old daughter Judith and moved to Stuart, Florida where Jerry was a safety engineer in the construction of the nuclear power plant on Jensen Beach. They stayed in Florida for six years where she worked for an orthopedic surgeon and while there adopted five-year-old son Robert. They then relocated to Underwood, North Dakota where Jerry was a safety engineer in the construction of coal powered electric plants. While there Barbra started her own alteration and tailoring business and specialized in wedding apparel and alterations.

They returned to Greeley and Barbra worked as the alteration specialist at J.M. McDonalds Fashions until their closure in 1982. They then moved to Billings, Montana where Jerry worked with OSHA as a safety engineer and Barbra worked as a bookkeeper/secretary for a construction company.

Barbra’s next adventure took them to Egypt where Jerry consulted in the construction of the U.S. Embassy/Consulate. From there they moved to Chile for two years and met people from all over the world and spent many weekends visiting local farmers’ markets with friends and acquaintances as well as enjoying hosting dinners in their home. They returned to Greeley by way of Easter Island, Tahiti, and Hawaii. Barbra spent 5 years working at the American Cancer Society. She also worked at St. Mary’s Catholic Church with the choir and as a CCD teacher.

In Barbra’s spare time she liked to work in the yard and visit with her children and grandchildren. She had 12 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren. She also enjoyed crocheting, cross-stitching, knitting, and taking computer classes to keep up her skills.

“I have had a full and exciting life and have grown with each new experience.”