Trudy never Gertrude, the life of the party - occasionally three 7- ups behind (a classic )

An  incredible work ethic that she instilled in me. It helped me succeed. Nothing  half ass. You either do it right the first time or don’t do it at all. 

Multilingual,  multicultural always willing  to learn something new - very Interested in new and alternative ideas, However if it was too crazy she called it out.  

Willing and accepting of a blended family and made such an effort with her grandchildren and children.

Generous and helpful in the kitchen whether you wanted it or not.

Protective of the things that she cherished and always looking for a good home for her nutcrackers. Proud of her family Heritage and that of her daughter-in-law‘s family culture.  She made such an effort to learn and appreciate the talents of others.

Holidays will never be the same but always remembered fondly.

A keen sense of style all the way into her 90s, as evidenced by her multiple closets.  Willing to share all that she had with her daughter-in-law‘s and grandchildren.

If there are  Alps in heaven, which I am sure  that there are, that’s where  she will be. Taking walks with a dog way to big for her leash. 

 May the walks be without pulling and her companion well behaved - an Airedale for sure - named  Oliver perhaps. 

I love you Mom 

Chris

“Do you love it?” Was the question I often heard from Trudie while talking to her about my current project, new job or something about the boys.  She always wanted to make sure that, whatever it was we engaged, it was something we loved. 

She also would ask “Don’t you just LOVE this?” when enjoying good food, good experiences or beautiful scenery, wanting to make sure we were all as happy as she was. Her Joie de Vivre lifted all our lives while she was alive and will be her lasting legacy to try to live our lives with her gusto. 

My grandma Bumper gave me simple advice when I finished college this year. She told me "Do what makes you happy!" This was the simplest advice or wish that I got, but it was also the most meaningful. Bumper knew, with her characteristically down-to-earth outlook on the world, that what is important is not your path through life but the spirit with which you walk it. Over and over, via text or card or over dinner, she told me to do what made me happy and she did so with a warmth and a sense of invitation that told me that she really meant it. To have Bumper trust me to live my life happily, as she lived hers, is something I'll carry with me always. To me, Bumper was a person who believed in people–herself and others–and their ability to live adventurously, meaningfully, and happily. It was a gift to feel that belief in our lives and a joy to watch it in hers.

Remembering my mother, Trudie Olson

My mom was a woman caught between two worlds - not in the tragic sense of an 18th century soul suffering through a world of blaring car alarms - but knowing that old-world charm didn't necessarily mean old. She was a dreamer of wonderlands, a seeker of forever days and transcendent nights. And she didn't wait for them to come to her - she grabbed a flight to Zurich, or a dinner with friends, or a simple cocktail on the deck, and made it happen.

She would dash for an express train so that she might enjoy a tranquil sunset with a glass of wine on the Seine, or hike a mountain trail to see wildflowers reflected in a lake surrounded by snow-capped peaks, or wander Florence's back alleys to find that place with succulent wild boar and sinful tiramisu.

And she loved to share. If her students didn’t know the languages of the old country, she taught them. If her friends needed the hearty fare of the Alps or the elegant cuisine of a French bistro, she fed them. If her Vail guests needed alpine charm rather than a Holiday Inn, she housed them. She truly envisioned the world the way it should be and made it happen - not with a wave of a wand or wishful thinking; but by vision, and persistence, and grit.

I'll alway associate this passion, this will to bring joy, with her bringing people to the bed and breakfast she created in Vail. Even at 90, she would dash to grab her phone on the second ring, deftly tap out booking details on its screen, and wish her new friend “adieu!, ’til we meet in Vail!”; knowing that soon they would be together on the deck, with good wine and the purple-rose sunset of the mountains loosening their tongues and rouging their cheeks, and marveling at the joy of making her magical world real.

Rich and I will long remember the wonderful Christmas dinners.     Trudie's kindness and hospitality will be missed.

Rich and Julie Reeves