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Trudy Gillespie, a beloved resident of Corvallis, Oregon, passed peacefully surrounded with love by her sons, Boyce and Calvin, along with their wives, Teresa and Melissa, and her devoted sister, Sue.

Trudy, the first of three children, was born to Rev. Arthur & Mary Gillespie in Barre, Vermont. With changes in Arthur’s ministerial assignments, the family moved to Worcester, MA (1946), Brigham City, UT (1950), and San Jose, CA (1954). Trudy graduated with honors from Campbell High School in Campbell, CA at the age of 17 in 1959. After attending Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, she worked at Gestetner Office Products. She later returned to Campbell where she met and married her husband of 23 years, Lee Sanders, in 1963. Their first son, Boyce, was born in 1965, and their second son, Calvin, was born in 1969. In the late 1960s, Trudy & Lee moved to Garberville, CA, to open a Montgomery Wards Store, which they operated together until 1978. Following the sale of the Wards store, Trudy worked at Redwoods Rural Health Center in nearby Redway before moving to Eureka, CA to pursue higher education at Humboldt State University, graduating in 1995. Drawn to Corvallis, she returned to care for her ailing father. Trudy’s mother, Mary, passed away in 1994. Following Arthur’s death in 1997, Trudy moved to Highland View Mobile Estates in Corvallis, OR, where she lived until Dec. 23rd, 2023.

Trudy was known for her gentle timbre, refreshing sense of humor, and keenness for helping others. She took pride in serving patients at The Corvallis Clinic for over two decades until 2020. She was a violinist with the Willamette Valley Symphony. In the Summer, she could be found on campus at her alma mater participating in the Humboldt Chamber Music Workshops at the University in Arcata, CA. She volunteered at Linn-Benton Community College tutoring students in the ESOL program and enjoyed friendship and sisterhood as a hatter in the Red Hat Society. Trudy enjoyed gardening, crosswords, Sudoku, museums, garage sales, antique shops, and was a lifelong cat lover. She also loved to travel. During her visit to England with her mother, they sought out Rogers Family Heritage sites. She traveled to Spain with a Music Ambassador’s Choral group including time spent in the Basque Region which she loved. She went to China with her sister Sue, whose SCSO Choir performed four venues which included the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City Concert Hall. Following this, on their own, Trudy and Sue visited Shanghai before returning to the US. Trudy loved sharing her adventures with family and friends. She will be dearly missed.

Trudy leaves behind her beloved sons Boyce (Teresa Lewis) and Calvin Sanders (Melissa) who reside in Santa Rosa, CA. She is also survived by her cherished grandchildren Christopher Johnson, Courtney Perez (Alex), Caleb Sanders, Logan Sanders (Dana), Ashley Meade (LeAndre), Candace Sanchez (Irvin) and her loved great-grandchildren Steven, Irvin, Elijah, Emily, Kali, Karlos, and Mylah. Trudy is also survived by her sister Sue Gillespie (Gary Resnick) of Lacey, WA. Her brother, David, passed away in 2015.

The family extends their heartfelt appreciation to the compassionate staff at Good Samaritan Medical Center and to Harmony House in Adair Village for their exceptional and loving care. Samaritan Evergreen Hospice offered invaluable support to Trudy and her family during Trudy’s final days.

A Music Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, June 1st, at 1 pm at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 4515 SW West Hills Rd, Corvallis, OR. Tea, coffee, & desserts to follow. Donations in Trudy’s name may be made to:

Willamette Valley Symphony, Corvallis, OR www.willamettevalleysymphony.org.

Corvallis Youth Symphony, PO Box 857, Corvallis, OR 97339 www.cysassoc.org

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