Gertrude Elizabeth Sophie Zancho (née Wieland), 96, passed away on May 18, 2019 at home in the presence of family. Shewas born on September 6, 1922 in Springfield, MA to Bertha Merz Wieland and Gustav Wieland of Germany.
Trudi grew up in Feeding Hills and graduated from Springfield Technical High School in 1940, where she was a member of Pro Merit (forerunner of National Honor Society). She had hoped to pursue a career in medicine, but during the Depression years college was not a possibility although she had been awarded a partial scholarship. So like many of the Greatest Generation, she went to work for one year to earn money for tuition to Springfield Hospital School of Nursing. She graduated as an RN in 1944 and began working at Springfield Hospital. Her nursing career also included private duty nursing, in doctors’ offices and as the school nurse at Williams Junior High and Glenbrook Middle School in Longmeadow from 1964 to 1977. She remained an active member of the BMC Nurses Alumni Association.
On August 23, 1944, Trudi married Stanley Walter Zancho from Agawam. When Stan returned from WWII, they lived in Long Beach, California before returning to Feeding Hills, MA. In 1955, they moved to Longmeadow where Trudi lived until her death, except for three years in the 1970s in Berlin, Germany for Stan’s career with Pan American Airlines.
Trudi was predeceased by her husband Stanley W. Zancho and son Stanley W. Zancho, Jr. She is survived by her daughter Carol (Jim Blauch) of Oakton, VA, her son Stephen (Dani) of Longmeadow, her granddaughter Susanna Blauch, her grandsons, Joseph Zancho and Stanley Zancho, her daughter-in-law Cathy Zancho, and her nephew Kenneth Moffett.
Trudi’s interests included needlework, knitting, sewing, cooking, gardening, reading, listening to classical music, and most especially playing bridge. She was a member of several bridge clubs in Longmeadow throughout her life. Trudi also was a volunteer docent for the Springfield Museum. While living in Berlin, she volunteered as a nurse with the American Red Cross.Trudi enjoyed traveling throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific.
Above all, Trudi was a loving, caring wife, mother, and grandmother. A visiting hour will be from 9-10AM on Tuesday, May 21 at Tazzini Funeral Home, 22 Locust St. in Springfield, with a Prayer Service at 10AM, followed by her burial at Hillcrest Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Gertrude’s name, to the American Cancer Society, 330 Whitney Ave , Suite 420, Holyoke, MA 01040; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 885 Second Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10017; or the American Heart Assoc., 300 5th Avenue, Suite 6, Waltham, MA 02451.