Ann Mudge Bleicken

January 3, 1930 - October 20, 2023

Funeral Service
Saturday, November 11 at 11:00 a.m.
Abiding Presence Lutheran Church
In-Person & Online
Luncheon to Follow at the Church

To participate in Ann’s funeral service online, go to AbidingPresence.net/live on the day of the funeral and you will find the service.

After a long, full, and happy life, Ann Mudge Bleicken passed away peacefully on October 20, 2023 in Springfield, Virginia.  She left this world with her family present and holding her hand and she was very comfortable thanks to her remarkable caregivers and hospice.  Ann was born on January 3, 1930 in Boston, Massachusetts and was the daughter of Raymond Corwin Mudge and Ermina Gertrude Holt Mudge.

Born and raised in New England, she married the love of her life, Gerhard David Bleicken, in 1967.  She and Gerry were devoted to each other for the rest of their lives and had a strong and loving marriage.  She lived a full life with much of it spent by her husband’s side, being a witness to some of its biggest events as a result of Gerry’s career.

Ann and Gerry raised twin boys – David and Neil -- in Sherborn, Massachusetts until Gerry passed away in 1981 at which time she moved the family to a more manageable home in Wellesley, Massachusetts.  She raised their twins and navigated the challenges of the high school years as a single mother and sent them both off to college.  Ann remained a strong and supportive presence in the lives of her children and grandchildren for the rest of her life and eventually moved to central Pennsylvania and then Fairfax Station, Virginia to live near and with them.

Ann most enjoyed time with her family, and summer hours spent on a screened-in porch with a good book, a glass of chardonnay, and grandchildren nearby were just about perfect.  Visits with her extended family were also a joy.  

She was a cancer survivor who later volunteered for the American Cancer Society, and, toward the end of her life, she battled dementia and then Alzheimer’s with courage.  She eventually moved into an assisted living facility where she was well cared for.  She was one tough lady with a big heart.

Ann is survived by her twin sons and their families:  David and Marianne Bleicken and their children, Lillian and Peter; and Neil and Lisa Bleicken and their sons, Theodore and Timothy.  Her funeral service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, November 11, 2023 at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, 6304 Lee Chapel Road, Burke, Virginia.  There will be a reception held at the church after the service with food and drinks.  She will be buried on Cape Cod next to her husband at 11:00 am on Saturday, November 18, 2023 in Beechwood Cemetery, 1705 Falmouth Road (Route 28), Centerville, Massachusetts (the burial plot is next to the intersection of Route 28 and Old Stage Road).   There will be a reception lunch held ten minutes from the cemetery at one of Ann and Gerry’s favorite spots, Wimpy’s Restaurant, 752 Main Street, Osterville, Massachusetts from 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm.  All are welcome to attend the funeral service in Virginia and the burial on Cape Cod.  However, the funeral service will also be live streamed here on the Abiding Presence website.

 Ann loved flowers a great deal but we’ve already ordered a few for her service and don’t need any more.  If you’d like to make a gift in her memory, please consider donating to the American Cancer Society or Mass General Brigham (via the Massachusetts General Hospital).