Claudia Lu (Bleeke) Colvin

Claudia Lu Colvin (née Bleeke) died suddenly on January 17, 2024 in Odenton, Maryland at the age of 75. Surviving with her husband Michael are their two sons Matthew Colvin (Sora) of Port Alberni, British Columbia, and Grant Colvin (Trudie) of Severna Park, Maryland; her sister Jewell Kern (Gerould) of Long Grove, Illinois; as well as nine grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents, Roy and Pauline Bleeke, of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Claudia was born on August 13, 1948 in Bluffton, Indiana, graduating from New Haven High School in 1966, and Indiana University in 1970 with a degree in Latin, shortly after her 1969 marriage to fellow classicist Michael Colvin. She earned her Masters in Latin from IU in 1974, while teaching high school in nearby Spencer, Indiana. Later in 1974 she and Michael moved to Maryland, where their first son Matthew was born the next year. They followed Michael’s work to Saudi Arabia for a very interesting couple of years when Matthew was a toddler before settling down in Bowie, Maryland, where their second child Grant was born in 1979. Claudia devoted herself fully to raising her sons and to making her house a home for her family.

Her passion for the Latin language and ancient Roman history led her to teach both of her young sons everything she knew about the subject, and led her inexorably back into the teaching field in 1992 when she joined the Latin department at prestigious St. Anselm’s Abbey School in Washington D.C., teaching all grades of Latin including Advanced Placement, and coaching the school’s quiz team to unprecedented levels of success.

She loved the church, and the Lutheran tradition, and had a particular heart for the pre-born and for women facing pregnancy in difficult circumstances. She volunteered at crisis pregnancy centers and took some of these women into her home over the years. She derived significant joy from baking desserts and entertaining- graciously hosting everything from church home groups to bridge clubs. She thoroughly enjoyed bantering about politics, especially its absurdities. And to the amusement of her family, especially her son Grant who made her an eBay expert, she became an avid collector of Madame Alexander dolls in her retirement years. She and Michael instilled a fervent passion for games (especially the card games Bridge and 6-hand Euchre) in her sons, who in turn have passed it on to the next generation. Her skill and cunning at the card table surpassed that of anyone in her family, and whatever team was lucky enough to have her was the favorite to win.

All are welcome to attend a formal memorial service on Saturday, February 3, 2024, at 1 pm in the sanctuary of First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Odenton, followed by a reception in the church fellowship hall where all are welcome to share their memories. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Wellspring Life Ministry at wellspringlife.org/give