ROSS, Trudy Diane (nee Flumerfelt)
March 1, 1943 – March 9, 2019
A woman whose smile and joyful presence could fill a room bid the world a reluctant yet gracious farewell on Saturday, March 9, 2019 in Cochrane after a long battle with cancer. Trudy is a third generation Calgarian and was the great granddaughter of the first tailor posted with the Hudson Bay Company trading post established in 1897. She was a musician through and through; a singer who gifted the world with her voice to her very last breaths. She attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Mount Allison University where she won the coveted Rosebowl Trophy in singing, beating the legendary Canadian musical icon, Anne Murray. Trudy sang with the Calgary Philarmonic Orchestra and performed at the Calgary Jubilee Auditorium in various performance lead roles such as “Anna” in “The King and I”. Her artistic flair was not limited to her singing as she was a highly skilled cross-stitch artist, crossword master and business administrator, holding various prestigious roles within the Music Department and with the Senate at the University of Calgary. After retiring, she continued giving her time in the world of music as she became the Manager of the Calgary Youth Orchestra as well as sitting on a multitude of boards and committees. She was always poised to help where she could. Consistently generous and gracious herself, she appreciated the care, compassion and kindness that she received from her physicians, her palliative home care team in Cochrane and the staff and residents of Big Hill Lodge in Cochrane in her last days. The family celebrates Trudy’s life by remembering her smile, grace, resilience, determination, compassion, artistry and love. She is survived by her brothers Gordon and Cathy Flumerfelt (Edmonton), and Donald and Julia Flumerfelt (Edmonton). She will be dearly missed by her children, Cherie Copithorne-Barnes and Tim Barnes (Jumping Pound), Kathy and Shane Homer (Jumping Pound), Michelle Copithorne and Dr. Carl Adrian (Cochrane), Ryan and Carolyn Copithorne (Jumping Pound), and her step-son, Michael Ross (Calgary). Trudy was loved by all of her seven grandchildren, Joshua and Courtney Barnes, Stephanie, Matthew and Brooke Spencer, and Alexander and Benjamin Adrian as well as several nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Trudy’s Life will be held at St. Andrew’s United Church (128 – 1 Street E. Cochrane, AB) on Friday, March 29, 2019 at 2:00 pm with Rev. Ray Goodship officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wellspring Calgary (www.wellspringcalgary.ca)
Arrangements entrusted to Cochrane Country Funeral Home, Florence (Flo) Simpson, Funeral Director. Ph: 403-932-1039
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of ROSS Trudy Diane nee Flumerfelt March 1 1943 – March 9 2019..
Death notice for the town of: Cochrane, Province: Alberta