Miriam Jane (Crandall) Holmblad

Affectionately known as "Mimi", formerly of Wheaton, Illinois, and born in Edgerton, Wisconsin, passed away in Boston, MA of complications from dementia on July 22, 2025. She was 87 years old. Mimi was predeceased by her husband, Gordon Lowell Holmblad, in 2005.

Mimi was born and raised on a farm in Edgerton, Wisconsin, where she got her passion for cows, roosters, strawberries, asparagus, and her mother's delicious apple pies. She was high soprano in the church and high school choir, and often sang beautiful harmony with her mother and two sisters.

She married her husband, Gordon, in 1958. They lived in various communities in Illinois, before they settled in Wheaton in 1963, where they resided until 2003. She achieved an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Human Service from the College of DuPage, in Glen Ellyn, IL, and a BA in the School of Arts and Sciences from National College of Education in Evanston, IL.

Mimi had numerous jobs and roles helping people in all capacities, as a teacher's aide for special needs children, a counselor for mentally ill adults, an Avon Lady, a Girl Scouts leader, a PTA leader, a volunteer at a hospital, and a counselor for college students.

Mimi loved music, especially folk, classical, and show tunes. Luckily, her husband did too. They attended numerous concerts at folk music venues and their beloved Ravinia. Mimi was a devoted mother, wife, daughter, aunt, and sister. She was a kind and helpful neighbor, avid gardener, frequent walker in the Morton Arboretum, a fantastic hugger, a proud feminist, and wonderfully funny.

She moved to the Boston area with her husband, Gordon in 2003. Sadly, he died just two years later. Mimi moved to Jamaica Plain and lived happily in a condo for five years. But her dementia started, and she moved to Goddard House Assisted Living in Brookline in 2010. She thrived there, taking part in many of their music, gardening, and art activities. She moved to the memory impaired wing there in 2015, where she lived for 10 years.

Remaining relatives include her daughter, Jean Holmblad, and her husband, Robert Zaret of Jamaica Plain, and her daughter, Jayne Holmblad, of Amesbury, MA, and many nieces and nephews.

Interment will be private. A celebration of her life will be held in the Chicago area and in the Greater Boston area.

Donations in honor of Mimi:

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, P.O. Box 419209, Boston, MA 02241-9209.

Goddard House Assisted Living Facility, 165 Chestnut Street, Brookline, MA 02445.

Club Passim, 26 Church St., Suite 300, Cambridge, MA 02138