Gertrude MADRULLI

1929 - 2017

MADRULLI (nee Galvin), Gertrude Frances Trudy Madrulli was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on November 23, 1929. She loved dancing and met the love of her life, Robert Paul Madrulli (Bob), at a dance while in high school. They danced together for over 60 years -- ballroom dancing, square dancing and international folk dancing. They made lifelong friends through dance everywhere they lived. After graduating from Regis College, Trudy and Bob were married. They settled in Wilmington, Delaware where their six children -- Kathy Rogers, Pete Madrulli, Ken Madrulli, Nancy McNeish, Liz Scruggs and Susan "Sam" Goodgion were born. After she finished raising her children in Beaumont Texas, she attended Lamar University to become a registered nurse, then enjoyed a 10 year career in psychiatric nursing at Baptist Hospital. She also loved sewing, gardening and reading. She liked to travel visiting her sister Barbara Keating-Edh in California, and her brother, Father John David Galvin, a missionary in the Solomon Islands. Trudy and Bob retired to Austin Texas, where after losing her eyesight to glaucoma, she learned to read braille and how to use a computer, while still managing most of the household tasks. She and Kathy cared for Bob during his struggle with Alzheimer's disease, then relocated to Sun City Center Florida after he passed away late 2012. Trudy was active in book clubs, yoga and gym exercising, line dancing, and the Audubon Club right up until the end. In addition to her own 6 children, she is survived by 12 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild. Her family and friends will always remember Trudy for her vitality and love of family, her compassion towards her patients, and her later volunteer work with elderly and low-vision groups. She was truly an inspiration to those who knew her. A graveside service will be held at a later date at Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge Massachusetts.