Rachel Helen Blumenfeld

Rachel Helen Blumenfeld, 56, of Knoxville, passed away February 17, 2019, surrounded by her family and close friends. Generous, funny, and brilliant, Rachel was an athlete, an intellect, and a loving and loyal friend. Rachel was a life-force full of joy, curiosity, and boundless spirit. She believed in the goodness of people and their inherent worth, regardless of income or station. Rachel had a gift for expressing honest curiosity and interest in others and an uncanny way of making the people around her feel genuinely cared for and appreciated. Rachel was born in El Paso, Texas on September 11, 1962, and spent most of her childhood in Memphis. Raised by her beloved dad, Jacob (Jay) with her brothers Matthew (Matt) and Jesse, Rachel was a graduate of White Station High School, where she was a National Merit Scholar and a member of the softball team and the band. She was the rare teen who, when presented with a choice between a bassoon and a car, opted for a bassoon, which she played when selected for the All West Tennessee Band. Rachel began her undergraduate studies at Brown University at 17, working in the cafeteria and playing softball for the Brown women's softball team, w...[more]

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ing the Ivy League Championship in 1982. A power hitter and strong fielder, Rachel enjoyed great success playing first base and was named All-Ivy Conference Softball Team Honorable Mention in 1984. After graduating with a BA degree in English Literature, she moved back to Memphis working briefly in pest control before attending the University of Memphis School of Law, where she was appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review. Always a fierce competitor, Rachel appeared on Wheel of Fortune winning a car and many other prizes, which helped defray some of her law school expenses. While Rachel's legal career began in private practice at Gardere Wynne in Dallas, it didn't take her long to pursue her true calling of public service, starting with the U.S. Environmental Protection's Region 6 Office of Regional Counsel. In 1994, Rachel moved back to Tennessee, this time to Knoxville, to begin a career with the U.S. Department of Energy that would span more than 20 years and include working in many capacities. She began her DOE career as an Attorney Advisor in the Oak Ridge Operations Office of Chief Counsel, moving on to lead the establishment of DOE's Environmental Management Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office, serving as Chief Operating Officer/Deputy Manager, acting Paducah Site Lead, and Regulatory and Environmental Policy Advisor. At the time of her death, Rachel served as the General Counsel of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, leading the Laboratory's Legal Directorate, with responsibility for providing legal advice and counsel to the Laboratory Director and management in all areas affecting the Laboratory. She also served as the corporate secretary for UT-Battelle, LLC. Rachel was preceded in death by her mother, Wendy Carr Miller, and her father, Jay Blumenfeld, whom she lovingly cared for the last 8 years of his life. She is survived by her two brothers, Matt (Shawn) Blumenfeld of Mt. Vernon, Washington, and Jesse (Elizabeth) Blumenfeld of Memphis, Tennessee, and loving nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her extended family of devoted friends. In lieu of flowers, it is suggested donations be made to the American Civil Liberties Union at action.ACLU.org or the MD Anderson Cancer Center at gifts.MDAnderson.org. Gentry Griffey Funeral Chapel is honored to serve the Blumenfeld family and invites you to view and sign the online registry below.