Annette Bloch, one of Kansas City’s ‘grande dames of philanthropy,’ dies at 94
Annette Bloch, a philanthropist who donated millions to cancer research and was herself a breast cancer survivor, has died. She was 94.
Her health had been failing in recent weeks, her youngest daughter, Linda Lyon, said. Bloch died Saturday morning surrounded by family.
“She was small but mighty,” Lyon, 68, said.
At her tallest, Bloch was 5-foot-3. By 2021, she was closer to 5-foot. She still exercised five days a week.
Bloch, born in Philadelphia, was also the widow of Richard Bloch, who co-founded H&R Block, a tax preparation firm, with his brother Henry Bloch. They substituted a “K” for an “H” to make the pronunciation clear. Henry Bloch died two years ago at age 96.
Richard Bloch, at age 52, received a terminal diagnosis of lung cancer. He beat it and survived. Married for 58 years, he and Annette Bloch dedicated much of the rest of their lives to helping others do the same.
“She got so much more, she thought, out of being able to give to others than she was giving,” Lyon said. “It just made her feel so good.”
Richard and Annette Bloch founded the R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation — now dissolved and replaced by the Richard & Annette Bloch Family Foundation — and the Bloch Cancer Survivors Park. They also funded the creation of 22 similar parks across the United States, with another two parks in Canada.
Richard Bloch died of heart failure in 2004 at age 78.
Annette Bloch was “one of Kansas City’s grande dames of philanthropy,” The Star wrote in 2017.
Over the years, she also donated $31 million to the University of Kansas Medical Center and $2.3 million to Truman Medical Centers for the construction of an expanded cancer treatment center on its Hospital Hill campus.
“She was a great friend, a remarkable, caring woman... a catalyst for good,” a spokeswoman for The University of Kansas Health System said Saturday. “She and her family are and always have been great supporters of healthcare, and The University of Kansas Health System and The University of Kansas Cancer Center, in particular. Our sincerest condolences go out to the entire family tonight.”
Bloch had also given millions of dollars to nonprofit groups in Palm Springs, California, where she had another home, among her many other charitable contributions.
She was honored as the 2015 philanthropist of the year at the annual Philanthropy Awards Luncheon sponsored by Nonprofit Connect.
Entertaining enthused her. Her guests at her home were greeted with a desire for perfection.
“I get a shot of adrenaline,” she told The Star in 2017. “I love people. When we had our big home on Ward Parkway, I would have 200 to 300 people over with a band and dancing.”
Family was key, her daughters said. She would provide trips for their family twice a year, around the summer and New Year’s, because she wanted to ensure the family remained close. She is survived by three daughters: Lyon, 73-year-old Barbara Huson and 70-year-old Nancy Linsley.
“She was always very positive,” Lyon said. “She always had something to look forward to. … She loved people. She really was a people person.”
She spent the last 17 years with her partner, Andrei Muresan.
Bloch loved collecting art — especially contemporary art and glass sculptures — and traveling. Her favorite vacation destination: Italy.
“The last couple of weeks when she was failing, she was all about love. That was a big lesson,” Lyon said. “She just saw everybody in such a positive loving light. And then it really affected everybody around her.”
This story was originally published July 17, 2021 at 4:54 PM.
