02/09/2007
Gertrude "Trudy" (Burbank) Folsom, 88, a longtime resident of the East Warren Road in Waitsfield, passed away unexpectedly on February 3, 2007. Trudy, the youngest daughter of the late Henry West and Hattie (Dearborn) Burbank, was born on April 3, 1918, in Chelsea.
Trudy graduated from Chelsea High School in 1936 and from the University of Vermont in 1940 with a degree in education. She married Wendell "Ike" Folsom of Waitsfield on March 21, 1941, in Swanton. Ike passed away on January 2, 2002.
Trudy taught elementary school for two years, then concentrated on assisting Ike on the farm and raising their family. In the early 1960s, Ike and Trudy sold their farm to Great Lakes Carbon Corporation and continued to manage it as a vacation spot for company officials and customers until their retirement in 1984.
Trudy has been a member of the Waitsfield Federated Church (now United Church of Christ) since she moved to Waitsfield. She taught Sunday school and served as Sunday school superintendent for several years and on other committees over the years. She was an active member of the Ladies Auxiliary, serving as the president and coordinator for the Christmas Bazaar for several years. Trudy was a lifetime member of the former Morning Star Chapter #23, Order of the Eastern Star of Waitsfield, serving as Worthy Matron for two years.
She was elected to the Waitsfield School Board where she served several years, including the years the new elementary school was built. She was an active member of the Waitsfield Historical Society, helped with fund raising for the restoration of the General Wait House and she and Ike were members of the Couples Club in Waitsfield.
Trudy learned to play golf later in life to avoid being a "golf widow" when Ike took up the game with a vengeance. In recent years she enjoyed reading and watching the birds in her yard. As physical limitations increased, Trudy was lovingly cared for by her children. The family wishes to thank Central Vermont Home Health and Waterbury Medical Associates for their support.
Trudy is survived by her children, Pat of Waitsfield and her companion, Sei Tokuda, of Waitsfield, Gordon and his companion, Kathy Bessette, of South Lincoln, Peg and her husband, Grant Kennedy, of Brampton, Ontario, Linda Eldredge of Waterbury, and Robin and her husband, Nick Brackett, of Waitsfield; 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; as well as nieces, nephews and extended family. Trudy was predeceased by five siblings, her son-in-law, Edward Eldredge, and a grandson-in-law, Steve Boschee.
A service celebrating Trudy's life will be held from the Waitsfield United Church of Christ on Saturday, February 10, at 11 a.m. followed by a reception in the church dining room. Later inurnment will take place in the North Fayston Cemetery. Memorial gifts in lieu of flowers would be appreciated to the Waitsfield United Church of Christ, P.O. Box 16, Waitsfield, VT 05673, or to Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, 600 Granger Road, Barre, VT 05641. The Perkins-Parker Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Waterbury is assisting the family. To send online condolences, please visit www.perkinsparker.com.
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