It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, Jan. 4, 2026, at The University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago, attended by her husband, Jonathan E. Bloom.
Jeanne was born in Jacksonville Twp, N.C. and lived in Hays, Kansas, for many formative years that generated her great love of stories and history. She graduated from Iola High School Class of 1971 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Jeanne was a most remarkable individual. She was a voracious reader possessed of boundless intellectual curiosity and a quick wit that brought joy to all she came in contact with, an excellent cook, as well as a very loving wife.
Beginning in the late 1990s, Jeanne devoted her professional energy to genealogy, which was her passion. In September 1999 she earned the Board for Certification of Genealogists’ (BCG) Certified Genealogist credential #419. She became President of BCG from 2014 to 2017. She specialized in forensic genealogy and multigenerational family histories, and spent much of her time working on both Army and private client cases. For the Department of the Army, Jeanne searched for and identified family members of unaccounted-for servicemen from World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
Jeanne was an innovator in the genealogical profession, instituting best practices into the field. She was also an author and frequent lecturer — a thought leader.
In her own words, “On the horizon I see a number of issues and concerns that the genealogical community will face and that BCG should actively address (1) Promoting ethical behavior, (2) Introducing the standards and best practices to the international genealogical community, and (3) Combatting the acceptance of a definition of ‘genealogy’ that is limited to unsourced and sourced online family trees.”
Before 1999, Jeanne was a financial analyst with Ralph G. Moore and Associates, Inc. She was a senior consultant designing studies for locating lost revenue. Prior to that she worked for the City of Chicago, starting as a loan processing supervisor, and progressing to a position of Assistant Commissioner in the Department of Planning and Development. She also worked at a small community bank as the interim manager of installment and commercial lending. In this role, she designed the administrative procedures to safeguard the bank’s assets.
Jeanne is survived by Jonathan E Bloom, Charles (Denise) Larzalere, Linda (Rick) Bohn, Marie (Klaus) Krizanovic, Laura (David, deceased) Carter and extended family. Her parents predeceased her as did David R. Carter, copilot in the Extortion 17 mission who was shot down and killed in Afghanistan.
Donations to Lung Cancer Research at the University of Chicago will honor her memory.
She will be deeply missed by all who knew her, and her memory cherished by those who loved her.
A memorial service in late March is anticipated, the exact date and location to be determined.
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