Trudi Winston

1927 - 2014

Trudi Winston
January 17, 1927-April 25, 2014
Resident of Millbrae
"You just enjoy it," Trudi Joan Winston liked to say; the phrase expressed both her generous spirit and her approach to living. She was born in Portland, Oregon, on January 17, 1927, to Joseph Chernis, an insurance agent for Metropolitan Life, and Fannie Silverman Chernis, famed for her macaroni and cheese soufflé and other delicacies. A "swell friend" to classmates at Franklin High School, Trudi—who wrote "Gert's Dirt" for the student newspaper—helped The Post win an All-American rating and a Quill and Scroll International award. Trudi contributed to the war effort as a clerk typist at the Naval Receiving Barracks in Portland. She then headed to the University of Oregon, where she realized her talents as a writer, editor, fundraiser, and event planner. Named Outstanding Independent Freshman of 1946, Trudi engaged in numerous political, academic, and philanthropic pursuits: class treasurer, Theta Sigma Phi archivist, campus fundraiser for the Committee of 100 (supporting the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund), reporter for Associated Women Students, and staff for the Oregon Daily Emerald, Old Oregon, and Ore-nter new student handbook. Trudi was appointed Associate Editor of The Oregona yearbook in 1947 and Editor in 1948. She earned her B.A. in journalism in 1949.
Trudi quickly landed a job as a magazine editor for Miller Freeman Publications in San Francisco. She soon met another recent transplant to the city, a war veteran from Chicago, just returned from Canton Island where he worked for the Central Aviation Administration. He was reading Popular Photography when she first laid eyes on Seymour Winston. He was smart, good looking, and drove a 1950 Plymouth convertible. "We might as well get married," Trudi proposed after six months of dating, which is exactly what they did on January 13, 1951, at San Francisco's Temple Emanu-El. For the next 63 years Trudi happily devoted herself to her husband and family. The couple moved from San Francisco to Pacifica and settled in Millbrae, where they raised three daughters. An excellent cook and baker, Trudi won awards for her chocolate nut macaroons and apricot jam at the San Mateo County Fair. She enjoyed traveling in the U.S. and Europe, hiking on Sawyer Camp Trail, staging drama readings, writing letters and poems, and volunteering at the Burlingame UNICEF shop and American Cancer Society. Honoring Trudi's many years of active leadership, the San Mateo Branch of the American Association of University Women recognized her with their highest award for Significant Service to the AAUW Educational Foundation and the local scholarship program.
Surrounded by her family and friends, Trudi peacefully passed away on April 25, 2014, at age 87. Loving wife and mother, she is survived by her husband, Seymour Winston; daughters Laura Lee Miller, Carol Anne Winston, and Janet Winston; sons-in-law Stephen Miller and David Swerdlove; and grandchildren David Joseph Miller and Alyssa Anne Miller. She was preceded in death by her brother, Jesse Chernis, and her sister, Celia Anderson.
Trudi will be especially remembered for her sweetness, curiosity, intelligence, sense of humor, and joyful spirit. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Trudi's name to the Alzheimer's Association (http://www.alz.org/join_the_cause_donate.asp). The family wishes to thank the caregivers at Sunrise of San Mateo for their steadfast care. Please join with family and friends on Saturday, July 5, 2014, to celebrate Trudi. For details, contact winstoncarol@hotmail.com or 626-689-2542.