Gertrude White

There was a party in Heaven on January 14, 2005. The belle of the ball was Gertrude C. "Trudy� White, 88, who that morning went to join many of her loved ones and spend eternity with her Lord.

Nanny, as her grandchildren liked to call her, was a hard worker. She was a single mother during the Depression, and served in many occupations over the years. She was a waitress at the Pioneer Hotel in Tucson and was, for a time, the hostess in the Coffee Shop at the Muelbach Hotel in Kansas City. A patron who admired her charming personality hired her to run his insurance office. After a number of years with Waddell & Reed, she left to join up-and-comer A.L. Williams when he founded his own company. Trudy was Art Williams� first secretary and was so well-loved in that organization that she eventually became the official tour hostess at the corporate headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. For a while, she hosted a company cable spot called "Trudy�s Tips,� that was broadcast via satellite. She worked until she was 78.

Trudy was a life member of Beta Sigma Phi and advanced to the Master Degree. She was president, girl of the year and valentine queen many times, and made many wonderful and lasting friendships through the sorority.

Trudy would dance or tell a story at any opportunity. She loved to travel, and with her daughter, Bobby Murphy, she visited many parts of the world. Her generous spirit and sense of fun made her loved everywhere she went. The family has many memories of playing games with Nanny and laughing so hard that tears came to their eyes.

She was a member of Christ United Methodist Church in Independence. A garden will be planted this coming spring, in her honor. She played the piano, and her lovely singing voice graced many choirs and choruses over the years. In the final weeks of her life, she could still join in singing "You Are My Sunshine.�

Trudy was born on August 25, 1916, in Sauhrita, Arizona, was raised in Tucson and graduated from Tucson High School in 1934. She accompanied the boys choir for several years in high school and sang in the girls chorus. She was the youngest of eight children, daughter of David and Clara Newcomer.

She leaves behind her daughter, Roberta Murphy, and her grandchildren, Arthur G. Murphy, Julia A. Murphy, Catherine M. Lobash and Susan E. Meehan; her grandsons-in-laws Mark L. Croxton, Lawrence T. Lobash and Joseph M. Meehan. Her great-grandchildren were her pride and joy: Jordan (7), Arthur Dale (4), and Emily(2) Meehan, and Brannon Lobash (4).

The family wishes to thank the staff of Kansas City Hospice and CareStaf for their tender and expert care.

Trudy liked flowers a lot! She can�t have them at the mausoleum, so buy �em and give �em to someone you love. Donations are encouraged to Kansas City Hospice, the Alzheimer�s Association and the Trudy Foundation, a charitable trust which will keep her generous spirit alive in good works for the community.

She�s gone from us for a time, but her smile and her spirit will be with us always.
The visitation is set for Sunday night from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Speaks Suburban Chapel in Independence. A Monday service is planned at Christ United Methodist at 2:30 p.m. Interment at Mt. Washington Cemetery will be on Tuesday at 10 a.m.