Gertrude Petkovich

Gertrude 'Trudy' Ellen Petkovich, of Cutler Bay, FL passed away on February 18, 2025 at age 77. She was born August 17,1947 to Jane and Walter Hammond in Staten Island, New York. Trudy alongside her younger brother Gary spent their childhood in New York as well as family vacations to visit their grandparents in New Hampshire. The family moved to Bergenfield, New Jersey in 1960 where Trudy was heavily involved in their church and had a very active social life. She graduated from Bergenfield High School in 1965 and afterwards the Hammond family moved to Miami Springs, Florida where Trudy met her future husband, John.
In 1967 she married John Petkovich Sr. (1931 - 2006), who served as an MP during the Korean War, worked for National Airlines and Pan American Airlines for thirty-six years. John and Trudy's family began with the birth of their first two children, John Jr. and Amy. John and Trudy were married at Christ The King Lutheran Church, which a holds a special place in the Petkovich family's heart as it is where Trudy discovered her greatest passion, serving the child welfare system for over thirty years.
Trudy and her husband became involved in the system of care after a remark made by their son if everyone took in just one child, you could make such a difference in that child's life. Taking his words to heart, Trudy and John spent eighteen years as foster parents, opening up their home to 300 infants during that period of time. They also decided to add to their family by adopting three girls which turned their family into a multicultural one who became strong advocates for children in the system of care.
Trudy's journey through the child welfare system began in 1989 with Love In Action, a ministry she co-founded at Christ The King whose mission is to serve children and families whose lives have been touched by the child welfare system. After becoming foster/adoptive parents themselves, Trudy and John opened their home to host a support group that met monthly for ten years to give foster/adoptive families the opportunity to connect, share and most importantly understand that they all needed to work together to best serve the children in their care.
Trudy transitioned into working for Florida's Department of Children & Families and becoming involved in the Florida Foster Adoptive Parent Association which allowed her to advocate on behalf of children and families throughout the state including at the legislative level, collaborating with many organizations to help bring about necessary changes in the child welfare system. She also has worked in different capacities for the various Community Based Care Lead Agencies that have served Miami-Dade & Monroe Counties including Kids Hope United, Our Kids and Citrus Family Care Network. Trudy also became involved in the Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI) a national movement that is built upon the belief that excellent parenting and strong relationships is the best way to help children thrive. At the time of her passing, Trudy's title was QPI Coordinator for Citrus Family Care Network which had her training and building relationships with everyone involved in the system of care including working with the Parent Engagement Team, advocating for the support of children and their birth families pre and post reunification.
Trudy was predeceased by her parents and her devoted husband of thirty-eight years, John Petkovich Sr. She is survived by her children, John Jr., Amy, Katherine, Deborah, Molly; her three grandchildren, Walter, LJ (James), Isabella; her brother, Gary (Teena) Hammond, nephew Christopher (Jennifer) Hammond, great nephew and niece, Oliver and Adelaide, alongside many other family members and her several godchildren.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 10 a.m. at Christ The King Lutheran Church, 11295 SW 57th Ave. Pinecrest, FL 33156. A reception will be held immediately following the service.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Love In Action (11295 SW 57th Ave. Pinecrest, FL 33156) a ministry Trudy co-founded that serves the needs of children and families whose lives have been touched by the child welfare system.
Love In Action Online Donation - https://tinyurl.com/Love-In-Action-Donate