Lieselotte "Lilo" K. Bloss

Lieselotte Klara “Lilo” Bloss, 91, of Cranberry Township, PA passed away peacefully at her
residence at Sherwood Oaks on February 6th, 2021.  She joins her husband Karl
Heinrich Bloss who left us in 2013.  She is survived by her daughter Lieselotte
Laly “Liz" Bloss-Kwasnik and son-in-law Frank Kwasnik as well as son Karl
Friedrich “Friedel” Bloss and daughter-in-law Kristina Bloss with Lilo's two
grandchildren Julia and Alex Bloss. 

Born in Dortmund-Hoerde, Germany on October 27, 1929 as the only child of Friedrich
“Fritz” and Liesel Bender, she endured the turbulent times of World War II
Germany.  Her love for natural sciences led her to obtain a Ph.D. in
microbiology at the University of Frankfurt where she met her future husband
Karl. 

Looking for foreign experience, she and Karl emigrated to the US and became the first
white professors at the HBCU Tuskegee Institute.  They spent 8 happy years in
Alabama teaching and conducting research including participation in the Salk
polio vaccine rollout.
 
Lilo and her family moved back to Germany in 1966 to spend more time with her aging
parents as well as her two children.  A work opportunity brought Karl to
Pittsburgh with PPG Industries and the family settled in McCandless Township in
1974.  As an empty nester, Lilo resumed her teaching career as an assistant
professor at Carlow College until her retirement in 1993. 
 
Lilo and Karl moved to the Sherwood Oaks senior community 2006. She became involved
in the choir, landscape committee, knitting circle, and helped less mobile
residents attend internal events.  She was proud of their patio home on Norman
Drive with a special love of the 4-season sunroom that allowed for hours of
entertaining and wildlife watching. 
 
Ever the travelers, Lilo and Karl took to the interstates to reach every US state
except Hawaii.  Lilo had a particular love of sea creatures and they would
beachcomb for hours looking for shells and invertebrates in Hollywood and
Sanibel Island, Florida.  They also took long meandering driving vacations in
Europe starting from their native Germany as well as sea cruises and a river
cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg.  
 
Lilo leaves behind a legacy of an accomplished career woman, a fastidious Hausfrau, a
steadfast life partner to Karl, and a strict but loving mother to Liz and
Friedel.  Her sometimes headstrong and feisty nature shaped the next generations
of her family into successful and open-minded citizens of the world.  Her role
model of an impeccably clean household and properly set table as well as
admonitions of “Das macht man so nicht!” (“One does not do it this way!”) will
stay with us forever. 
 
We love you Mutti and Oma!
 
The family is making private arrangements through McDonald-Aeberli Funeral Home in
Mars, PA.  In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a contribution, Lilo’s
family requested donations to the Sherwood Oaks Residents Association (SORA)
Memorial Fund.  SORA provides a forum for self-governance over many matters of
campus life and offers dozens of opportunities, all of which are organized and
led by residents. These all support one or more of the six components of
wellness: emotional, intellectual, social, physical, spiritual and vocational
fulfillment.
 
Check may be made out to “SORA” with a memo “Lilo Bloss Memorial Fund” and mailed
to:Sherwood Oaks-Attn: SORA Memorial Fund, 100 Norman Drive, Cranberry Township, PA 16066