Christel Blohm

BLOHM - Christel Age 88, of Watkins Glen, formerly of Buffalo, left the mortal bounds of this earth the morning of Tuesday, August 19, 2008. Her daughter, Helen, was there to bid her adieu and bon voyage. For forty years, Christel worked for the Pieper Travel Bureau in Buffalo, NY. She was a travel agent extraordinaire, being one of the top twenty-five agents in the United States. While creating unique travel adventures for individuals and groups such as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, she traveled the world visiting far away places like the Galapagos Islands, Vietnam and China. On her second visit to China in 1981, she attended the opening of the Grand Canal to western tourists for the first time since the revolution in 1948. Her home is lovingly filled with artwork and mementos of her worldwide travels across five continents. Christel had a lifelong passion for politics and foreign affairs. A native of Germany, Christel became an American citizen in 1973 so that she could participate in our electoral process. Upon retiring to Watkins Glen, she immersed herself in the activities of the League of Women Voters of Schuyler County, serving on the Board for a number of years. An avid reader with an insatiable quest for knowledge, Christel supported or volunteered for many local organizations; Friends of the Watkins Glen Library, the Schuyler County Historical Society, ARC, and the Schuyler Hospital Auxiliary, to name a few. Per her wishes, memorial services will be private. Those wishing to remember Christel are encouraged to do so with a memorial gift to the Watkins Glen Public Library which will be matched by her family.