Obituary for Blanca Kolb Colannino
Blanca Kolb Colannino, a longtime resident of Buckingham Street, died suddenly and unexpectedly on October 7, 2020.
She will be missed by her nephew, Anthony J. Colannino and his wife Kara, of Woburn, who worked tirelessly during the many days necessary for Blanca to move forward after her husband of fifty years, Robert, died on July 26, 2020. She will also be missed by her brother-in-law, Francis X. Colannino, and his wife, Susan, of Somerville; by her sister-in-law and longtime friend, Maria Swanson and her husband, Russell, of Millbrae, California and by many nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews.
Blanca was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on September 28, 1943 and came to the United States of America when she was still in high school. She, along with her mother and father and four siblings settled in Michigan. She was predeceased by her father, Hendrickus Kolb, her mother, Wilhelmina Kolb and her brother, Dirk Kolb.
Blanca and Bobby built a beautiful home together at 34 Buckingham Street, where they resided together for 45 years. The property’s backyard bordered Bobby’s childhood home, and even at a young age he made purchasing the home a goal. Both the inside and outside of their purple house was unique, filled with interests, loves, and passions of its residents.
Through years of planning and planting their outdoor space become an enchanted place of well-chosen trees and flowers, as well as a vegetable garden. Blanca loved to sit in the lush green space at its farthest edges, where you could be mistaken to be in the woods of New Hampshire, instead of a backyard just a few minutes from Harvard Square. Blanca also loved to sit in a favorite second floor room which overlooked the garden and where she watched the many birds who visited her feeders on a Juliet balcony.
Inside rooms where simply know by whatever color they were painted: The Blue Room, Green Room, Purple Room, Yellow Room, etc. Everything from the furniture to the paintings to light fixtures were carefully chosen from decades of finding that just right piece at yard or estate sales they frequented together. Often Blanca had to compete with Bobby for shelf space in their home to show off her latest finds.
Blanca also loved to create art on the third floor of Buckingham Street. She worked in textiles, yarn, and natural elements. She loved to knit small holders for even smaller treasures that she would hide within her knitted creations and give as gifts. Both Blanca and Bobby also shared their yard sale finds with their nieces and nephews through birthday and Christmas gifts. Of her varied collections, Blanca enjoyed the detail artwork in J & J.G. Low tiles, which she started collecting in 1975.
Blanca also shared her home with many pets throughout the years. She adored her Maine Coon cats and a one-time dog, Buck, an ever-protective Saint Bernard. The couple’s latest cat, Bell, was a constant companion for Blanca after Bobby’s passing. Blanca spoiled her with heavy and whipped cream.
In her later years Blanca suffered significant hearing loss, which made it difficult for her to attend family functions or even go out for dinner. Bobby, her loving caretaker, would make her special meals and sometimes simply surprise her by serving her on the second floor. These last months before her death, she often remarked how dedicated Bobby was to her, and how she enjoyed his meals more than any 5-star restaurant.
For the entirety of her life Blanca moved with courage, conviction, and creativity. This same resilience was evident even after Bobby’s sudden death. As difficult as continuing to live after losing her partner of 50 years was, Blanca was doing so, courageously. Her grief did not stop her from selling her beloved home with plans to move into a more suitable space for her current needs and where she could continue creating.
She will be missed by her nephew, Anthony J. Colannino and his wife Kara, of Woburn, who worked tirelessly during the many days necessary for Blanca to move forward after her husband of fifty years, Robert, died on July 26, 2020. She will also be missed by her brother-in-law, Francis X. Colannino, and his wife, Susan, of Somerville; by her sister-in-law and longtime friend, Maria Swanson and her husband, Russell, of Millbrae, California and by many nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews.
Blanca was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on September 28, 1943 and came to the United States of America when she was still in high school. She, along with her mother and father and four siblings settled in Michigan. She was predeceased by her father, Hendrickus Kolb, her mother, Wilhelmina Kolb and her brother, Dirk Kolb.
Blanca and Bobby built a beautiful home together at 34 Buckingham Street, where they resided together for 45 years. The property’s backyard bordered Bobby’s childhood home, and even at a young age he made purchasing the home a goal. Both the inside and outside of their purple house was unique, filled with interests, loves, and passions of its residents.
Through years of planning and planting their outdoor space become an enchanted place of well-chosen trees and flowers, as well as a vegetable garden. Blanca loved to sit in the lush green space at its farthest edges, where you could be mistaken to be in the woods of New Hampshire, instead of a backyard just a few minutes from Harvard Square. Blanca also loved to sit in a favorite second floor room which overlooked the garden and where she watched the many birds who visited her feeders on a Juliet balcony.
Inside rooms where simply know by whatever color they were painted: The Blue Room, Green Room, Purple Room, Yellow Room, etc. Everything from the furniture to the paintings to light fixtures were carefully chosen from decades of finding that just right piece at yard or estate sales they frequented together. Often Blanca had to compete with Bobby for shelf space in their home to show off her latest finds.
Blanca also loved to create art on the third floor of Buckingham Street. She worked in textiles, yarn, and natural elements. She loved to knit small holders for even smaller treasures that she would hide within her knitted creations and give as gifts. Both Blanca and Bobby also shared their yard sale finds with their nieces and nephews through birthday and Christmas gifts. Of her varied collections, Blanca enjoyed the detail artwork in J & J.G. Low tiles, which she started collecting in 1975.
Blanca also shared her home with many pets throughout the years. She adored her Maine Coon cats and a one-time dog, Buck, an ever-protective Saint Bernard. The couple’s latest cat, Bell, was a constant companion for Blanca after Bobby’s passing. Blanca spoiled her with heavy and whipped cream.
In her later years Blanca suffered significant hearing loss, which made it difficult for her to attend family functions or even go out for dinner. Bobby, her loving caretaker, would make her special meals and sometimes simply surprise her by serving her on the second floor. These last months before her death, she often remarked how dedicated Bobby was to her, and how she enjoyed his meals more than any 5-star restaurant.
For the entirety of her life Blanca moved with courage, conviction, and creativity. This same resilience was evident even after Bobby’s sudden death. As difficult as continuing to live after losing her partner of 50 years was, Blanca was doing so, courageously. Her grief did not stop her from selling her beloved home with plans to move into a more suitable space for her current needs and where she could continue creating.