Gertraud “Trudy” Wallace
Gertaud B. Wallace, 75, of Fairchild, WI, passed away surrounded by her loving family and in the care of her family and Mayo Home Hospice.
Gertraud Birkenfeld Wallace, daughter of Adolph and Wilhelmina Birkenfeld was born June 23, 1946, in Hanau, West Germany. She was raised in Steinheim, West Germany, where she attended school and went on to receive her beautician license.
After her marriage to Thomas Benedict, an American soldier stationed with the U.S. Army in Frankfurt, she moved to his hometown of Chicago, IL. She gave birth to her children and raised them on the south side of Chicago and in Cicero, IL. In addition to raising her children, she made use of her beautician training and also worked in manufacturing at Nu-Style Shade where she met future husband John Wallace. She married John on June 29, 1985 in Chicago and they joined their families. The couple lived in Cicero, IL until moving to Fairchild in 1999.
Upon moving to Fairchild she attended Chippewa Valley Technical College where she was trained as a certified nursing assistant. She then went on to work as a C.N.A. at the Fairchild Nursing Home until it closed, and after that worked until her retirement at the Osseo Nursing Home.
Trudy loved spending time outdoors, especially working with all the different variety of flowers that she planted over the years. When it came time to relax you could find her with a cup of coffee on her back porch waiting for the various birds that came to entertain her. Trudy was never shy about intellectual conversation and she loved discussing global politics and history. She always cherished the time she spent with her family and playing with her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Trudy will be dearly missed by John, her loving husband of nearly 37 years; their children, Paula (Huey) Barton of Forest View, IL; Eleanor Russo of Elizabeth, IL; John Wallace Jr. of Kings Bay, GA; Kristi Wallace of Mercer, WI; Michelle Schenn of Fairchild, WI; and 9 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren; brother, Karl-Heinz (Bepe) Birkenfeld of Steinheim, Germany; and sister Ilse Schaffner of Pfungstadt, Germany.
Trudy was preceded in death by her parents; her son Frank Benedict in April of 1984; and brother Host Birkenfeld and life long friend Marlies Moulster of Milwaukee, WI.
A celebration of Trudy’s life will be held later this summer.
Online condolences can be left at www.andersonfhaugusta.com