Donald Albert BLESSING

Born

17 April 1925 , Shelton, Connecticut, USA

Died

2 September 2009 , Longmont, Colorado, USA

Parents & Family of Donald Albert BLESSING

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Parents

Albert A BLESSING Helena Louise FRATSCHER

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Born: 17 April 1925 in Shelton, Connecticut, USA

Father: Albert A BLESSING

Mother: Helena Louise FRATSCHER

Paternal grandparents: Carl "Charles" Theodore BLESSING , Frances Mary "Fannie" MESICK

Maternal grandparents: William Amandus FRATSCHER , Karoline Therese FROLICH

Donald Albert was a soldier in World War II.
Tracing Ancestors Through Military Service Records: Unveiling Family Heroes

Spouse(s)/Partner(s) and Child(ren):

Donald Albert married Alice Shirley BLAKE 12 March 1947 . Alice Shirley BLAKE was born abt. 1927 in Connecticut, USA.

Donald Albert married (2) Marabelle DOWLER 21 June 1957 in Itasca, Minnesota, USA . The couple had (at least) 2 children.
Marabelle DOWLER was born 11 January 1928 in Crosby, Minnesota, USA. Marabelle died 18 November 2018 in Longmont, Colorado, USA. Marabelle was the child of James Eugene DOWLER and Bernice Marie CHAFFEE.

Donald Albert BLESSING died 2 September 2009 in Longmont, Colorado, USA.

*** who is his oldest son, Gary Gordon and wife Diane of Whidbey listed in his obituary?

Details of the family tree of Donald appear below.

FAMILY HERITAGE FINDS

Gifts & Books Connected to This Family

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Operation Underworld: How the Mafia and U.S. Government Teamed Up to Win World War II

World War II: The Definitive Visual History from Blitzkrieg to the Atom Bomb

Honoring WWII Heroes Ceramic Coffee Mug – World War II Veteran Tribute Gift

Crafted from durable ceramic, this mug is perfect for morning coffee, evening tea, or thoughtful reflection. The dignified 'Honoring WWII Heroes' caption makes it an especially meaningful gift for Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, or as a keepsake for those with a personal connection to World War II history.

FAMILY HERITAGE READING

Books Connected to This Family

Family history

Forever Cousins: Eight Generations of the Theinert Family

Donald Albert BLESSING is connected to the family history explored in this book.

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A true Maine story

Androscoggin's Secret

Discover the story behind the 1900 murder of Jessie Cobb in Lewiston, Maine, and the world families were talking about at the time.

Discover the story

Spouse & Children of Donald Albert BLESSING

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Donald Albert BLESSING married

Alice Shirley BLAKE
Marriage date: 12 March 1947
Marriage place:
Source: ancestry.com

Marriage notes:

Name: Donald A. Blessing

Gender: Male

Residence Place: 257 Ilolino Avenue

Occupation: Naval Midshipman

Employer: Naval Air Station

School: Shelton

Marriage Date: 9 1947

Parents: Albert Blessing; Blessing

Spouse:

Alice Shirley Blake

Name: MS Alice Shirley Blake

[MS Alice Shirley Blessing]

Gender: Female

Residence Place: 257 Ilolino Avenue

School: Grossmont . Union High School

Marriage Date: 9 1947

Parents: H. J. Blake; Blake

Spouse:

Donald A. Blessing

U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-current

Name: Alice S Blake

Gender: Female

Event Type: Marriage

Marriage Date: 12 Mar 1947

Marriage Place: Unknown, California, USA

Spouse:

Donald A Blessing

California, U.S., County Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1849-1980

Children of Donald Albert BLESSING and Alice Shirley BLAKE

No children are currently listed for this couple.

Donald Albert BLESSING married

Marabelle DOWLER
Marriage date: 21 June 1957
Marriage place: Itasca, Minnesota, USA
Source: ancestry.com

Marabelle DOWLER was the child of James Eugene DOWLER and Bernice Marie CHAFFEE

Marriage notes:

Name: Marabelle Dowler

Marriage Date: 21 Jun 1957

Marriage Place: Itasca, Minnesota, USA

Spouse:

Donald Albert Blessing

Certificate Number: U-98

Ancestry.com. Web: Minnesota, U.S., Marriages from the Minnesota Official Marriage System, 1850-2019 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2019.

Children of Donald Albert BLESSING and Marabelle DOWLER

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Birth — 1925
17 April 1925
Shelton, Connecticut, USA

1927 - The aerosol can is invented (Erik Rotheim, Norway)

1927 - April 7 – Bell Telephone Co. transmits an image of Herbert Hoover (then the Secretary of Commerce), which becomes the first successful long distance demonstration of television

1928 - Sliced bread (bread slicing machine) is invented by Otto Frederick Rohwedder (United States)

1929 - Herbert Hoover becomes President of the United States

1929 - October 29 - Black Tuesday - Stock market crash - The Great Depression Begins - It lasted until 1941 (WW2)

1930 Shelton, Fairfield, Connecticut

Name: Donald Blessing
event: CENSUS
Event Date: 1930
Event Place: Shelton, Fairfield, Connecticut
Gender: Male
Age: 6
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
birthPlace: Connecticut
estimated Birth Year: 1924
Immigration Year:
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
father's birthPlace: Connecticut
mother's birthPlace: Germany
enumeration district number: 182
family number: 231
Sheet Number and Letter: 13A
Line Number: 49
nara publication: T626, roll 259
Film Number: 2339994
Digital Folder Number: 4531863
Image Number: 00317
Household Gender Age
parent Albert Blessing M 35
parent Louise Blessing F 30
Charles Blessing M 10
Donald Blessing M 6
Marjorie Blessing F 1

Source / record details
1930 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
Exploring the U.S. Census: Your Guide to America’s Data

1930 - Scotch tape is invented (Richard Drew (3M), United States)

In 1930, on February 18, Pluto was discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, marking a significant milestone in the study of our solar system.

1931 - The paper towel is invented (Arthur Scott, United States)

1931 - March 3 – The Star-Spangled Banner is adopted as the United States National anthem.

1933 - Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes President of the United States

1933 - December 5 – The 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution is passed, repealing Prohibition

1934 - The metal beverage can is invented (American Can Co., United States)

1935 - The snowmobile was invented by Joseph Bombardier (Quebec, Canada)

1935 - August 14 – United States President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act into law

1938 - The ballpoint pen is invented (Lazlo Biro, Hungary)

1938-1944 - Sunscreen is invented (Franz Greiter, Switzerland and Benjamin Green, United States)

1938 - October 27 - Du Pont announces a name for its new synthetic yarn: nylon.

1940 Shelton, Fairfield, Connecticut

Name: Charles Blessing
Age: 19
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1921
Gender: Male
Race: White
BirthPlace: Connecticut
Marital Status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Son
Home in 1940: Shelton, Fairfield, Connecticut
Street: Healeys Ross Road
Inferred Residence in 1935: Shelton, Fairfield, Connecticut
Residence in 1935: Same House
Sheet Number: 9A
Household Members:
Name Age
Albert Blessing 46
Louise Blessing 39
Charles Blessing 19
Donald Blessing 15
Marjory Blessing 11
Lillian Blessing 7

Source / record details
1940 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
Exploring the U.S. Census: Your Guide to America’s Data

1940 - April - 1st electron microscope demonstrated (RCA), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1941 - December 8 - (the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor) United States declares war on Japan (WW2)

Donald Albert BLESSING - 1942 Shelton, CT High School yearbook

1942 Shelton, CT High School yearbook

ancestry.com

1944 - D-Day, which occurred on June 6, 1944, was a pivotal World War II operation where Allied forces launched a massive invasion on the beaches of Normandy, France. Known as Operation Overlord, it involved over 156,000 troops from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and other Allied nations. The operation aimed to liberate Western Europe from Nazi German control. The landings marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany, leading to the eventual Allied victory in Europe.

Ansonia, Derby, Shelton and Seymour, Connecticut, City Directory, 1945

Name: Donald A Blessing
Residence Year: 1945
Street Address: Cross rd S
Residence Place: Ansonia; Derby; Shelton; Seymour, Connecticut
Occupation: In
Publication Title: Ansonia, Derby, Shelton and Seymour, Connecticut, City Directory, 1945

Source / record details
ancestry.com

1945 - The atomic bomb is invented (J. Robert Oppenheimer, et al., United States)

The microwave oven was invented accidentally in 1945 by Percy Spencer, a Raytheon engineer. While testing a magnetron, he noticed microwaves melted a candy bar in his pocket. Experimenting further, he discovered microwaves could cook food quickly. Raytheon patented the process, and by 1947, they built the first commercial microwave oven, called the 'Radarange.' Initially used in commercial settings, microwaves becomes affordable for home use by the 1960s and 1970s, revolutionizing cooking.

1945 - Harry S. Truman becomes President of the United States

1945 - On September 2, 1945, World War II officially ended with the formal surrender of Japan. The surrender ceremony took place aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, where Japanese officials signed the Instrument of Surrender in the presence of Allied representatives, including General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz.

World War II Draft Registration

Name: Donald Albert Blessing
Race: White
Age: 20
Relationship to Draftee: Self (Head)
Birth Date: 17 Apr 1925
Birth Place: Shelton, Connecticut, USA
Residence Place: Shelton, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA
Registration Date: 4 Mar 1946
Registration Place: Shelton, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA
Employer: Unemployed Discharged From Navy 3 2 46
Height: 5 10
Weight: 150
Complexion: Light
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Next of Kin: Albert Blessing
Household Members Age Relationship
Donald Albert Blessing 21 Self (Head)
Albert Blessing
Father

Source / record details
FamilySearch.org. U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1947.
The Draft

1947 Marriage / Partner
Donald Albert BLESSING and Alice Shirley BLAKE 12 March 1947,

He was 21 years old.

Ansonia, Connecticut, City Directory, 1948

Name: Donald A Blessing
Residence Year: 1948
Residence Place: Ansonia, Connecticut
Publication Title: Ansonia, Connecticut, City Directory, 1948

Source / record details
ancestry.com

1948 - Velcro is invented (George de Mestral, Switzerland)

1950 - Orange, California

Name: Donald Blessing
Age: 25
Birth Date: abt 1925
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Connecticut
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Residence Date: 1950
Home in 1950: Orange, California, USA
Dwelling Number: 115
Citizenship: No
Household Members Age Relationship
Donald Blessing 25 Head
Alice Blessing
23 Wife

Source / record details
1950 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
Exploring the U.S. Census: Your Guide to America’s Data

1950 - June 25 - Korean War begins when North Korean forces invade South Korea.

1953 - Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes President of the United States

1953 - On July 27, 1953, the Korean War ended with the signing of an armistice agreement at Panmunjom. This ceasefire halted the conflict between North Korea, supported by China and the Soviet Union, and South Korea, backed by United Nations forces primarily from the United States. The agreement established the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) near the 38th parallel, effectively maintaining the pre-war boundary and creating a buffer zone between the two Koreas.

1957 Marriage / Partner
Donald Albert BLESSING and Marabelle DOWLER 21 June 1957, Itasca, Minnesota, USA

He was 32 years old.

1961 - John F. Kennedy becomes President of the United States

1961 - Vietnam War officially begins with 900 military advisors landing in Saigon.

1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis was a tense 13-day standoff in October 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union over the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the U.S. coast. The crisis is considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war. It began when American spy planes discovered the missiles, leading to a U.S. naval blockade of Cuba and intense negotiations. The crisis ended when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba and secretly agreeing to remove American missiles from Turkey.

1963 - I Have a Dream Speech - Martin Luther King's Address at March on Washington August 28, 1963.

In 1963, on November 22, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza. The assassination shocked the nation and the world, leading to widespread mourning and a period of intense national introspection. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States shortly after Kennedy's death. The assassination sparked numerous conspiracy theories and investigations, with the Warren Commission ultimately concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination. Kennedy's death had a profound impact on American politics and society, marking the end of an era often referred to as 'Camelot.'

1968 - The ATM is invented (Don Wetzel, United States)

1969 - Richard M. Nixon becomes President of the United States

1969 - July 20 - Apollo 11 - Man lands on the moon

June 17, 1972 – August 9, 1974 - Watergate Scandal began with the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., in 1972. Members of President Richard Nixon's administration attempted to cover up their involvement. The scandal led to the discovery of multiple abuses of power by the Nixon administration, the resignation of President Nixon in 1974, and the indictment of several administration officials.

1973 - January 22 - Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 and Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179: The U.S. Supreme Court declares that the Constitution protects women’s right to terminate an early pregnancy, thus making abortion legal in the U.S.

1973 - March 29 - The last United States soldier leaves Vietnam

The cell phone was invented by Martin Cooper of Motorola. On April 3, 1973, he made the first handheld mobile phone call with the Motorola DynaTAC. This device weighed 2.5 pounds and was 10 inches long, offering 30 minutes of talk time and requiring 10 hours to charge. The first commercial cell phone was released in 1983, revolutionizing communication and leading to the modern smartphones we use today.

1974 - Gerald R. Ford becomes President of the United States after the resignation of Richard Nixon.

1977 - Jimmy Carter becomes President of the United States

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State occurred on May 18, triggered by a 5.1 magnitude earthquake. It caused the largest landslide in recorded history, followed by a massive lateral blast. The eruption killed 57 people, destroyed 250 homes, and spread ash across the U.S.

1981 - Ronald Reagan becomes President of the United States

1981 - June 5 - First reported case of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)

1982 - The camcorder is invented (Sony Corp., Japan)

1983 - The laptop computer is invented (Radio Shack Corp., United States)

1986 - January 28 - Space Shuttle Challenger accident - The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when the shuttle broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members.

1989 - The World Wide Web is invented at CERN (Tim Berners-Lee, UK)

1989 - George H. W. Bush becomes President of the United States

1993 - William J. Clinton becomes President of the United States

2001 - George W. Bush becomes President of the United States

2001 - September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Coordinated terrorist attacks by the extremist group al-Qaeda on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, leading to significant changes in U.S. domestic and foreign policy, including the War on Terror.

Death

U.S. Social Security Death Index
first Name: Donald
middle Name: A
last Name: Blessing
name suffix:
Birth Date: 17 April 1925
social security number: 043-18-1208
place of issuance: Connecticut
last Residence: Longmont, Boulder, Colorado
zip code of last Residence: 80501
death date : 2 September 2009
estimated age at death: 84

Source / record details
Social Security Death Index
Unofficial Guide to FamilySearch.org: How to Find Your Family History on the World's Largest Free Genealogy Website

Obituary

Daily Times-Call, The (Longmont, CO) - September 4, 2009
Deceased Name: Donald 'Don' A. Blessing April 17, 1925 — Sept. 2, 2009
Donald 'Don' A. Blessing, 84, of Longmont died Wednesday, September 2, 2009, at Longmont United Hospital.

Born in Shelton, Connecticut, on April 17, 1925, Don was the third child born to Albert Blessing and Louise Fratcher.

He was preceded in death by his
Brother: Charles and
Sister: Marge. His lone surviving
Sister: , Lil, resides in Ansonia, CT.

Don leaves behind a wife of 52 years, Marabelle of Longmont; his oldest son, Gary Gordon and wife Diane of Whidbey Island; son and daughter-in-law Scott and Ann Blessing; daughter and son-in-law Terry and Steve Brookins, both of Longmont; and several grandchildren, Tiffany Gordon, Shay, Troy and Kelsey Blessing and Ben and Sarah Brookins.

Don grew up during the Depression, and his work ethic was developed during these hard times.

At 8, he would go to work each morning before the school day at a local

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