James Albert Bloy

James Albert Bloy, organist, born in Marshfield, Wisconsin to Albert Bloy, a cheesemaker, and Esther Grambsch Bloy, died on December 3rd at age 85 in Maryville. Dr. Bloy was a professor of music at Maryville College from 1953 to 1993, teaching organ, music history, church music, and components of the core fine arts course. From 1980 to 1990 he was Chairman of the Fine Arts Division. His undergraduate study was at North Central College where he was awarded a B.A. and B.Mus. degrees, both with high honor. He earned a M.Mus. Degree from the Eastman School of Music and a doctorate from the School of Sacred Music of Union Theological Seminary. He also studied in Frankfurt and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, at New College and All Souls College in Oxford, and was a visiting scholar at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard. He studied organ with C. C. Pinney, Harold Gleason, Catherine Crozier, Helmut Walcha, and Robert Baker, and studied composition with Seth Bingham. His student Bryan Ashley, organist at The Mother Church, the First Church of Christ, Scientist, wrote of Dr. Bloy, I will be forever grateful to Jim Bloy for definitively opening up the world of organ music to me and providing the pivotal support for my choice to pursue a career in organ performance. His gentle demeanor and quirky humor, coupled with his wealth of knowledge about music, history, and spirituality made each encounter with him at the organ, in the classroom or at the dinner table an enriching and entertaining experience. He is survived by his sons, Greg and Dylan Bloy, and by his grandchildren, Dorian and Julia Bloy. A funeral Eucharist will be held Saturday, December 28th at 2:00 PM at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Maryville. Donations, in lieu of flowers, can be made to Blount County Habitat for Humanity. McCammon-Ammons-Click Funeral Home, Maryville in charge 982-6812 mccammonammonsclick.com