On the last day of May, just 24 days shy of her 100th birthday, and two months after the passing of her husband of 77 years, Trudy continued her spiritual journey to rejoin all the family and dear friends who have gone before her. There was no question, she was ready to leave her beautiful, yet aging body behind, and discover what a heavenly definition of a delicious meal might be.

Gertrude Alice Epple Lauf (also known as Trudy, Trude, Gert and Streudel) was an amazing combination of strength and warmth; one who, gifted with brilliance, creativity, humor, beauty and talent, danced lightly around the edges, never one for the spotlight. Among her favorite things were baking fruity desserts, long conversations, after-dinner comedy shows, fashioning and appreciating clothes, sunny days on the porch swing, outdoor adventures with Walt, gardening, dogs, swimming in clear lakes, breathing in saltwater air and walking sandy beaches.

She leaves a family she loved and who love her beyond measure: son Mark (and wife Louise Demko Lauf) of Rutland Vermont, daughter Janice (husband Roger Hildwein) of Fall City, Washington, and daughter Lisa (husband David Rooper) of Vancouver Island, Canada. She loved and nurtured her grandchildren: Andrew Lauf (Stephanie Lauf), Megan Collins (Scott Collins) and Jessica Wellerstein Felts, along with her bonus grandchildren Jackson and Emelia Rooper. She also embraced an extended family: Alain Wellerstein, Raph Wellerstein, Morgen McCance and Christian Hildwein. Her three great grandsons Ben, Luke and Sam brightened her life as did her loving nieces and nephews. As friends become chosen family, she also leaves whom we consider sister and brother, Sandy Fink and Mike Horner.

The daughter of proud parents Eugene and Marie Epple, Trudy was born in Danbury, CT on June 24, 1924, and grew up in Bethel, CT. She, along with her younger brother Karl, enjoyed the warmth of a German-influenced home where apple streudels, the call of a cuckoo clock, a healthy vegetable garden and a Lutheran church family held them steady through the Depression and challenging times. She was valedictorian of her Bethel High School graduating class and delivered a moving speech about democracy that would touch us all today.

She fell in love with a younger, handsome Danbury, CT guy, Walt, also part of the Immanuel Lutheran community. She was supported by love letters from Europe, while she waited for him to return from WWII. As newlyweds, they set out for New York City, where she worked with a public relations agency focusing on fashion and where seeing prominent figures such as Eleanor Roosevelt pass by was not unusual. During those years, living in their small brown stone apartment and awaiting Walt's graduation from Parsons School of Design, they enjoyed taking art lessons from the famed cartoonist Richard Taylor and occasional train trips back to Bethel.

For all who know Trudy and Walt, the city years shaped their flair for design and décor, but the call of rural life brought them back to Bethel, CT. There, they and family members built their home of 25 years and the road upon which it was set: Windaway Road. Trudy's years would be filled raising their three children, building Walter Lauf Associates Advertising Agency and packing up the VW bus for weekend camping trips to Vermont or Cape Cod. A bookkeeper, a mother, a school secretary, Trudy explored, yoga, broadened her cooking and baking talent, loved outdoor experiences, socialized with their close circle of family and friends, and was dedicated to planning shopping trips with her daughters!

Later, in the 80's they found themselves empty nesters and recently retired. Holding tightly to Walt's hand, she stepped out of her comfort zone to move to Castleton Vermont. As was almost always the case, she thrived when, willingly or reluctantly, she joined Walt for a new experience. With freedom to grow, she became a volunteer with the Nature Conservancy, joined Walt in making new friends and neighbours, expanded her quilting and crafting passion, enjoyed adopting their daughter's rescue dog and intimately explored the rivers, backroads and trails of Vermont. Trudy and Walt loved to sing in choirs and found music to be an essential part of their worship in various congregations to which they belonged in Connecticut and Vermont. They could still be heard harmonizing during their Castleton Federated Church services as recently as last year.

There are too many too count, but four very prominent qualities Trudy shared with us come to mind. First, she had an absolutely amazing ability to listen and remember. Countless people sat in her company, astounded they had just spent an hour doing all the talking and only to find a month later, she would ask about that very conversation. It is no exaggeration, she remembered everyone's life story. Another signature trait is that she would leave one equally astounded when she would remember exactly what she ate 20 years ago at someone's wedding. She loved food, although she was still in search of the perfect meal before she passed on. A third was her humour. Up until her last hours, she had a way of bluntly expressing her thoughts, mostly always at her own expense. We wish we had written these quips down. Lastly, her strength in stormy weather was remarkable, she powered on with little complaint.

Her most precious treasure was her marriage to Walter. None is without its highs and lows, its give and take. Perhaps the deepest expression of love could be seen in their last years when both were afflicted with multiple and declining physical ailments. When one was down the other rose to the occasion, almost to their last breath. Speaking of treasures, she was and always will be our treasure, one we hugged and loved and adored.

Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the kind and compassionate care from the Meadows Special Care Unit team during the last days of her life. Donations can be made in Trudy's name to the Castleton Community Center which she and Walt loved or to the Vermont Nature Conservancy in a variety of ways:

(via mailed check)

The Nature Conservancy

Vermont Chapter

575 Stone Cutters Way

Montpelier, VT 05602

(credit card via phone)

Sarah Gribbin, Gifts Manager, 802-613-7353

(Online)

Nature Conservancy -   https://preserve.nature.org/page/81523/donate/1?locale

Online donations are processed at the national level.

After two months of being apart, it is fitting that Trudy would not stay behind but instead, follow Walt for their next adventure in a new life. To remember and celebrate them, there will be a Memorial Service on August 31, 2024 at the Federated Church of Castleton at 11am. Coffee and calling hour will be held from 10am -11am.