Obituary of Aislinn Alice Bleck

Aislinn Alice (Ace) Bleck, not yet 21, chose to end her battle with brain cancer and depression on December 10th, 2016. She was born to Timothy Robert & Regina Marie (Geary) Bleck on December 29, 1995 in Chicago, IL, but spent most of her formative years living in Hopewell, NJ, attending the Princeton Latin Academy. Moving to Maryland in 2010 at the beginning of 10th grade, she became increasingly sick until, after returning from a winter vacation, it was discovered that she had a brain tumor. Aislinn had a strong fighting spirit and determinedly progressed through months of rehabilitation after brain surgery in 2011, re-learning how to swallow, walk, talk , and see with double-vision. She switched to left-handed dominance after the surgery left her with right-sided hemi-paresis even becoming adept at drawing and water-coloring. Returning to high school in her junior year, she graduated with honors from Bethesda Chevy Chase in 2013 earning several academic awards in physics and engineering. She attended two partial years of St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, but depression and difficulties with processing speed made school work and peer interactions a struggle. She sought help and participated in treatment at Sheppard Pratt, McLean 3 East, Timberline Knolls and most recently at Clearview Communities. She was well-liked and a source of strength for others as Aislinn wanted to ensure people didn't have to experience the pain she knew all too well. She attended Camp Mak-A-Dream for brain tumor survivors, first as a patient and then as a mentor. Funeral Services will be held Thursday, December 15th with a gathering from 10:30 am to noon and services at noon, both at the Martin Funeral Home, 1761 Route 31, Clinton, NJ. Burial immediately follows at Lower Valley Union Cemetery, 443 County Road 513, Califon, NJ. The family welcomes all to attend a luncheon repass immediately following in the Presbyterian Church Hall adjacent the cemetery. Aislinn is survived by her parents, grandparents, numerous aunts and uncles, even more cousins, a plethora of extended family members and friends she made across the country. Readings by: First cousins Rian Waldbrunn and Kelly Rae McMillen Pallbearers will be: Uncles Andrew E. Bleck and Robert M. Geary, first cousins Nicholas Harris and Grayson Waldbrunn, and family friends Siddhartha Chadda and Lorenzo Esquivel. As one of the bright spots in Aislinn's illness was her ability to connect with fellow brain tumor survivors at Camp Mak-A-Dream, for those who wish, in lieu of flowers, please make a donation in her memory to the CBTF (Children's Brain Tumor Foundation) at 1460 Broadway, New York, NY 10036; cbtf.org Thank you all for the kind words of support offered to us and notes of appreciation for Aislinn posted online.