Grietje “Caroline” Carolina Blach

Grietje “Caroline” Carolina (nee Liefheid) Blach, a very beloved Oma, and exhausting mother, died quite expectedly on September 2, 2023 at 95 years old in Minocqua.

Caroline was born to Gerardus Pieter Liefheid and Aartje Olivier on July 26, 1928, in Oost-en West-Souburg, Netherlands near Vlissingen Koninklijke Marine base. She was raised with her sister and dear brother in Kedichem, NL. After the war, she met and fell in love with Antoni “Tony” Blach while out dancing. They married on December 14, 1950 and went on to have three sons, Irenaeus, Michael, and Gerardus. The family emigrated to the US in November of 1958 and settled in Chicago, Caroline became a full-time resident of northern Wisconsin in 1996 and was lovingly cared for by her youngest son and daughter-in-law until her final day.

Prior to the dementia setting in, Caroline was as feisty and stubborn as she was inappropriate and hilarious. If you were lucky you got to be on the receiving end of “I have two words for you” while she held up her middle finger and said “love you.” She was quick to celebrate a person hitting bankrupt on Wheel of Fortune, and quick to verbally share what often should have been kept inside. She wasn’t a godly woman, but she was a woman who valued cleanliness. Always ready to jump into action to fold a blanket or wash a cup if a grandchild so much as headed toward the bathroom door. Caroline was a keen pluisje spotter — even in her nineties, she didn’t miss the tiniest speck on the floor and was willing to fall over in the name of absolute cleanliness. She was known to vacuum so aggressively that she wore out multiple rugs. Caroline might not have been up on world news, but she knew her celebrity gossip, didn’t miss “The Ellen Show” while it aired, and spent decades devoted to her television friends in Genoa City. Caroline affectionately called her grandchildren things like dupa jaś, dingie, and dikkie. None of which translate positively to english, but they loved this anyway. She was a massive dessert enthusiast and no cakes or cookies were safe in her presence. In her final weeks her great-granddaughter supplied her with many, many slices of fudge, and watching her experience the new and delicious joy with each slice is forever etched in our hearts. Dementia is an inexplicably cruel end, and being able to find a smile in those moments brought a joyful reminder of the woman we had already lost to dementia years ago.

Caroline is survived by two sons, Irenaeus “Eric” (Del) Blach of Rural Retreat, Va. and Gerardus “Jerry” (Victoria) Blach of Minocqua. Grandchildren Melissa Blach of Barrington, Ill., Tiffany (Brian) Bloshenko of Fort Atkinson, Antoni (Samantha) Blach of Crystal Lake, Ill., Deidre (John) Wassilak of Elgin, Ill., Adrian Blach of Rural Retreat, and Tyler Blach (Kelly) of Portland, Ore. and step-granddaughter, Lana Cook of Beckley, W.va. She is survived by six great-grandchildren, Jace (Mariya), Ethan, Carter, Logan, Margot, and Matthijs. She is further survived by former daughter-in-law, Joyce, and family in the Netherlands. She also leaves behind a cat, Poepie, that isn’t actually hers, and is actually named Missy.

Caroline is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Antoni, son Michael, sister Jantje Wijkhuizen, brother Joseph “Joop” Liefheid, and sister-in-law Areke Hermina “Mein” Liefheid. There will be no formal services, but do “take an egg” or have some hagelslag in her honor. Bolger Cremation & Funeral Services is assisting the family, www.bolgerfuneral.com for condolences.