Gretchen Schafer Felix died January 5, 2022, at a Bangor hospital one month after her 99th birthday. She was born in Marietta, Ohio, on December 6, 1922, the daughter of Harry Milton Schafer and Fayne (Havens) Schafer.
In 1926, the family moved to San Diego, California, and then to Glendale and finally, when Gretchen was in the 6th grade, to central Los Angeles. Gretchen, at the urging of her mother and with the goal of expanding her horizons, chose to attend Belmont High School in Los Angeles, an ethnically diverse school with high academic standards. An interest in exploring and experiencing the variety of peoples and cultures of the world never left her. In 1944, Gretchen graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Berkeley, with a BA in Anthropology. With WW II in progress, she enlisted in the WAVES and attended Midshipman training at Smith College, followed by training as a Communications Officer at Mt. Holyoke. She was stationed at the Twelfth Naval District headquarters in San Francisco working on coding and decoding until leaving active service in the fall of 1945 as a Lieutenant JG.
In August 1945, Gretchen and fellow UC-Berkeley graduate and Navy officer David Felix were married in their Navy uniforms. After the birth of their first child, the couple moved to Berkeley in 1946, where, with the help of the GI Bill, Gretchen earned a teaching certificate and David earned an MA in history and Ph.D. in economics. A teaching position for David at the University of Washington meant a move to Seattle in 1950, where their second daughter was born. Successive faculty positions for David took them back to Berkeley in 1952, to Detroit (Wayne State University) in 1954, and then to St. Louis (Washington University) in 1964, where they lived until moving to Orono in 2005. Interspersed were a sabbatical in Santiago, Chile (1957-58), in London, England (1962-63), and in Boston (1967-68), as well as other travels in Latin America and Europe. By bus, ship, plane, train, and car, Gretchen gamely organized and carried out the family’s many domestic and overseas moves and adventures.
When not performing these feats, Gretchen taught elementary school in Detroit for 7 years and for 3 years in St. Louis. Over the years, she helped to edit and type multiple research papers, in addition to David’s master’s and doctoral theses in the era of manual typewriters. In later years, she taught English as a Second Language (ESL) to adult students at Washington University’s “University College”. She was very active in the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) for more than 40 years, drawn by its international focus and social activism. She was also involved in the International Wives Program at Washington University (WU), meeting weekly for cultural outings in the St. Louis area with women from many countries.
Gretchen was also involved in the WU Women’s Club and its literature group. A love of literature was always central to her life. She introduced her daughters to many classic books as they were growing up. In Maine she enjoyed literature classes through Senior College, events at the Collins Center for the Arts, as well as hiking, and sailing along Maine’s beautiful coast. After two grandsons came on the scene, Gretchen and David spent several weeks each summer (and some winters) becoming part of their grandsons’ lives and enjoying the mountains, rivers, and lakes of western Montana.
Gretchen was preceded in death by her husband David; sister-in-law, Clara Felix; and nephew, Elliot Wagner. She is survived by her two daughters, Tonia (Dr. Marshall E. Bloom) of Hamilton, MT; Gianna (Dr. Stuart Marrs) of Bangor, ME; two grandsons, Dr. Jesse D. Bloom (Dr. Kelley Harris) of Seattle, WA; Dr. Seth M. Bloom (Dr. Akwi Asombang) of Brookline, MA; and two great-grandchildren, David K. Bloom of Brookline and Alice O. Bloom of Seattle. A third great-grandchild is expected in March in Seattle. Additional survivors include a nephew, Josh Wagner (Kalpa Tungate) of Santa Cruz and Los Angeles, CA; a niece, Elissa Wagner (Robert Bilek) of Aptos, CA; and grandnephew, Soren Wagner of Philadelphia, PA.
Services will be private for the family. Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Gretchen Felix, please visit our flower store.
In 1926, the family moved to San Diego, California, and then to Glendale and finally, when Gretchen was in the 6th grade, to central Los Angeles. Gretchen, at the urging of her mother and with the goal of expanding her horizons, chose to attend Belmont High School in Los Angeles, an ethnically diverse school with high academic standards. An interest in exploring and experiencing the variety of peoples and cultures of the world never left her. In 1944, Gretchen graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Berkeley, with a BA in Anthropology. With WW II in progress, she enlisted in the WAVES and attended Midshipman training at Smith College, followed by training as a Communications Officer at Mt. Holyoke. She was stationed at the Twelfth Naval District headquarters in San Francisco working on coding and decoding until leaving active service in the fall of 1945 as a Lieutenant JG.
In August 1945, Gretchen and fellow UC-Berkeley graduate and Navy officer David Felix were married in their Navy uniforms. After the birth of their first child, the couple moved to Berkeley in 1946, where, with the help of the GI Bill, Gretchen earned a teaching certificate and David earned an MA in history and Ph.D. in economics. A teaching position for David at the University of Washington meant a move to Seattle in 1950, where their second daughter was born. Successive faculty positions for David took them back to Berkeley in 1952, to Detroit (Wayne State University) in 1954, and then to St. Louis (Washington University) in 1964, where they lived until moving to Orono in 2005. Interspersed were a sabbatical in Santiago, Chile (1957-58), in London, England (1962-63), and in Boston (1967-68), as well as other travels in Latin America and Europe. By bus, ship, plane, train, and car, Gretchen gamely organized and carried out the family’s many domestic and overseas moves and adventures.
When not performing these feats, Gretchen taught elementary school in Detroit for 7 years and for 3 years in St. Louis. Over the years, she helped to edit and type multiple research papers, in addition to David’s master’s and doctoral theses in the era of manual typewriters. In later years, she taught English as a Second Language (ESL) to adult students at Washington University’s “University College”. She was very active in the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) for more than 40 years, drawn by its international focus and social activism. She was also involved in the International Wives Program at Washington University (WU), meeting weekly for cultural outings in the St. Louis area with women from many countries.
Gretchen was also involved in the WU Women’s Club and its literature group. A love of literature was always central to her life. She introduced her daughters to many classic books as they were growing up. In Maine she enjoyed literature classes through Senior College, events at the Collins Center for the Arts, as well as hiking, and sailing along Maine’s beautiful coast. After two grandsons came on the scene, Gretchen and David spent several weeks each summer (and some winters) becoming part of their grandsons’ lives and enjoying the mountains, rivers, and lakes of western Montana.
Gretchen was preceded in death by her husband David; sister-in-law, Clara Felix; and nephew, Elliot Wagner. She is survived by her two daughters, Tonia (Dr. Marshall E. Bloom) of Hamilton, MT; Gianna (Dr. Stuart Marrs) of Bangor, ME; two grandsons, Dr. Jesse D. Bloom (Dr. Kelley Harris) of Seattle, WA; Dr. Seth M. Bloom (Dr. Akwi Asombang) of Brookline, MA; and two great-grandchildren, David K. Bloom of Brookline and Alice O. Bloom of Seattle. A third great-grandchild is expected in March in Seattle. Additional survivors include a nephew, Josh Wagner (Kalpa Tungate) of Santa Cruz and Los Angeles, CA; a niece, Elissa Wagner (Robert Bilek) of Aptos, CA; and grandnephew, Soren Wagner of Philadelphia, PA.
Services will be private for the family. Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com.
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