Gertrude Machlis "Trix" Bjorklund

Gertrude "Trix" Machlis Bjorklund Born Gertrude Therese Rafferty, 22 December 1916, in Chicago, IL, the sixth of eight children of William Rafferty and Gertrude Connery Rafferty. Died 1 May 2007 in San Jose, CA. She attended Mundelein College, Chicago Teachers College, and the University of Illinois, where she received a Ph.D. in anatomy and physiology in 1947. She married Leonard Machlis, and with him had four children, Lee, Joan, Paul, and Gail. They raised their family in Berkeley, CA, where he was professor of Botany and she was professor at nearby Mills College, where she taught several generations of nursing students. Leonard died in 1976; Trix later married J. Harmon Bjorklund (Burke), who died in 1998. Trix was active in the Golden Gate Audobon Society and the Berkeley Folk Dancers. She enjoyed the friendship of the "Fourth Saturday Cotillion," a group of Berkeley parents who met monthly for over four decades. She loved hiking, birding, and music and, with her second husband, world travel and outdoor adventures. She is survived by her children, as well as three grandchildren, Kyla, Isaak, and Kalina. A private family memorial gathering will be held. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Golden Gate Audubon, 2530 San Pablo Ave., Suite G, Berkeley, CA 94702-2047.