Trude Schlotfeldt

We mournfully announce the passing of our dear mother, Trude (Weber) Schlotfeldt. Trude passed away on July 15, 2023, after a hard fought battle with heart and kidney disease.
Born to John and Regina Weber, Trude took her first breath on June 30, 1927. She is survived by her sister Charlotte Hecke of San Jose, CA and by her four children, Joan Marri, Carl and his wife Chris, Steven and his wife Debbie, and Lori Struck and her husband Jeff. She loved her grandchildren Natalie, Gregg (deceased), Joseph, Stephanie, Matthew, Amy, Brent, Michael, and Alec, and her great grandchildren Daniel, Olivia and Stella, and her great-great grandchild Justin.
Trude grew up in Hoboken during the years of the Great Depression followed by WWII. From a young age on she loved life, being "with people", and having a good laugh. But she never lost sight of life's challenges and heartbreaks that she and her neighbors faced growing up.She attended Demarest high school, and following a brief career as a secretary at a local mattress factory, she met and married Carl Schlotfeldt in 1947.
They met quite appropriately on the dance floor at a German music hall on 86th Street in Manhattan, called the Yorkville section and known for its German roots and rich history. Originally settled by German immigrants in the early 19th century, Yorkville was once the heart of New York City's German community. Until not so long ago it was a place to find beer gardens, sausages, and lively culture, all of which Trude and Carl found very attractive and welcoming.
Like Yorkville, the Breezy Point section of Greenwood Lake, where they would go to cool off and socialize on weekends, was a popular destination for German Americans in the late 40's.Once driving home, they took a detour through a brand new development called Highland Lakes, NJ. Liking what they saw as a summer escape from city life for their future family, they purchased a lot on West Lakeshore Drive with a $25 deposit. That became the Bungalow where the family would spend summers for the next 25 years or more, and where Trude learned to relax on the beach.
To be close to Carl's place of employment, the newlyweds settledin the Jersey City Heights and soon welcomed their first child, Joan, a Christmas baby born during the record breaking blizzard of December 1947. To help make ends meet they rented out furnished rooms, often having multiple tenants. Trude was a full time mother, housewife and "in-keeper" leading up to the birth of their 3rd child, Steven, in January 1959.
That was also the year of "the trip". Despite having a newborn, in May Trude and Carl and their three children embarked on a life changing 4 month family journey (the first of many) to Germany to visit aging relatives and sight-see. What set this trip apart is that it involved transatlantic crossings via steamship, ten days one way and seven days coming back. It also involved the purchase of a new family car, delivered at the pier in Hamburg upon arrival. That red and white VW mini bus carried them through 4 or 5 countries in Europe. They shipped it home and it became Trude's "ride" for the next dozen or so years.
Trude eventually moved to a year-round home in Highland Lakes to be close to her youngest child, Lori, her husband Jeff and their growing family.Some years later she traded for a home near Toms River, NJ to be close to her son Steven and his wife Debbie as they raised their young family.
When Trude could no longer manage on her own she moved back to Highland Lakes to live with Lori and Jeff. They created a lovely, convenient, and well appointed two-room suite for her with a wild bird feeder built into the window next to her bed! It is there that she lived out her remaining years surrounded by loving family and friends. In the early morning of July 15, after being lovingly tucked in by Lori the night before, Trude passed away quietly in her sleep. God rest her soul. She was a great lady.
A Celebration of life will be held on Sunday, July 30th at 11:00AM with Funeral Service at 12:30 at
Ferguson Funeral Home, 241 Rte 94, Vernon, NJ. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to Trude' angels
at the Karen Ann Quinlan Memorial Foundation, 99 Sparta Avenue, Newton, NJ 07860 OR compliment
someone, every day.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Trude's name to the Karen Ann Quinlan Memorial Foundation, 99 Sparta Avenue, Newton, NJ 07860.