Etta Schermer Blum

Blum, Etta Schermer

San Francisco, California. Etta Blum, 91, died December 20th because it was her time.

She was predeceased by her husband Daniel Blum and her siblings Sara, Avery, Leo and Stanley. She is survived by her two sons, Matthew and Michael (Susan), her four grandchildren Kayla, Deena, Jacob and Eli, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Etta was born and raised in Madison, Illinois, the daughter of Helen and Herman Schermer. With eleven aunts and uncles, she is one of the last of literally dozens of cousins who spread all over the St. Louis area and beyond.

As a young woman, she worked as a disk jockey and as a photo interpreter for the Air Force. At 25, she shipped out to Japan, working as a public relations specialist at the US Army hospital in Tokyo for three years. The plane home landed in San Francisco in 1956. There she stayed and married Daniel, the love of her life. After her marriage, she continued to work as a part-time reporter for the Tokyo Shipping and Trade News newspaper. After that, she became one of the first docents for the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, eventually editing their newsletter. But mostly, she devoted herself to making a home for her family. Later, with her boys off to college, she thought it would be fun to learn to speak Japanese. So she did. To her grandchildren, she will always be Obaasan.

Suffering from dementia, she spent her last eight years in a memory care facility, where she was the life of the party and was widely suspected of cheating at bingo.

A devoted wife, a gracious hostess and the best mother we could hope for. Her cooking and her sense of humor were profound.