Hannah Bluemel
After spending her early years in Denmark during WWII, she settled in area and owned a Harford County nursery
Hannah Petersen Bluemel, a musician who owned and operated a Harford County plant nursery and garden design business, died of blood cancer Aug. 26 at her Baldwin home. She was 78.
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, two months before the country was invaded by Nazi Germany, she was the daughter of American-born parents Helen Lunstrum Petersen and Frederick Bredahl Petersen. Her father, a Baptist pastor, was a leader in the Underground Resistance Movement and established a headquarters in his church basement. He was later knighted by the Queen of Holland for his role in helping Jews escape to Sweden.
“She grew up during World War II and its rationing and perils in her father’s parish house on Amager Island, Copenhagen,” said her daughter, Nan-Kirsten Weinstock of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. “This would turn into a five-year nightmare.”
According to a family history: “Rationing on everything began, even hot and cold water. Coal was imported from Poland, also rationed, but the Nazi troops took even that from us, forcing temperatures in our homes so low we had to wear our coats inside the houses. Adults can tolerate this treatment, but children and especially infants suffered.”
In 1957, after attending schools in Copenhagen, she left Denmark with her family and settled in Chester, Pa., where her father took a post at the former Crozer Theological Seminary. She played the organ for services.
She moved to Baltimore in 1958 when her father was named pastor of Seventh Baptist Church, at North Avenue and St. Paul Street. She attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music and studied with Shirley A. Mathews. She played the harpsichord and organ as well as the piano.
In 1978 she married Kurt Bluemel, who founded a nursery and propagated and popularized ornamental grasses that were used by numerous clients including the Baltimore County Courthouse in Towson and the Animal Kingdom at Disney World.
“Kurt and Hannah were inseparable,” said Dr. Lee Russo, a retired surgeon and friend. “You could not think of Kurt without Hannah. He loved her madly. She understood his business and she was a better organized and a socially engaged person. She was really a guiding spirit at the nursery.”
He said Mrs. Bluemel entertained guests at the couple’s Baldwin home, which contained a grand piano. She played for friends and visiting members of the horticulture community who sought out their fields and greenhouses.
After her husband’s death in 2014, she continued the operation of the Baldwinbased Kurt Bluemel Inc. with other members of her extended family.
A statement on the firm’s website reflects her philosophy: “A well-tended garden is both a daily physical chore and a spiritual joy to behold.”
“Hannah was a dramatic person,” said Betty Cooke, a jewelry designer based at the Village of Cross Keys. “She had a great, independent spirit and her clothes style reflected it. She was a strong woman, and was a lovable, friendly person who in turn loved people. When she liked something, she loved it enthusiastically. She understood beautiful things and she, herself, was personally handsome.”
Ms. Bluemel was an organist at St. James Episcopal Church in Monkton and played at the congregation’s family service.
“Hannah was a delightful person. She was sprightly and had a glint of mischievousness in her eye,” said the Rev. Charlie Barton, the church’s former rector. “She was an active participant in the worship and her empathy for people and music was always apparent. She was a help to me, and I hope I was a help to her.” Friends said Ms. Bluemel decorated with pieces brought from Denmark and with a painting from her uncle, Kai Trier, an abstract painter.
“Hannah Bluemel was bounteous in style, in spirit, and in skills as a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, horticulturalist, cook, classical musician, choir leader and, after her husband died, businesswoman running their company,” said Elizabeth “Betsey” Heuisler, a friend of 42 years.
“Her immigrant life story, after an early childhood in Nazi-occupied Denmark, was a saga of resilience, success and generosity,” added Ms. Heuisler.
A memorial service will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at 2737 Glen Elyn Way in Baldwin.
In addition to her daughter, survivors include a son, Kurt Erik Weinstock of Atlanta, Ga.; a stepdaughter, Catherine Bluemel Betz of Salisbury; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Her marriage to Joseph Saul Weinstock ended in divorce. Hannah Bluemel played several instruments and was a church organist.