Trudo, O. D. (1925-2013)

TRUDO, WILSON, WEISS, PETERSON, LEEMING

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 7/7/2013 at 08:45:29

O. D. Trudo
January 17, 1925 - June 15, 2013

Storm Lake, Iowa

Orville Douglas Trudo, fondly known by all as O. D., age 88, a long-time resident of Storm Lake, Iowa, passed away in his sleep on June 15, 2013, at the Maine Veterans’ Home in Scarborough, Maine.

O. D. was born in Waterloo, Iowa, on January 17, 1925, the son of Orville Douglas Trudo and Astrid (Wilson) Trudo. After graduating from West Waterloo High School in 1943, he enlisted in the army at the age of eighteen. He served in the 44th Infantry Division in the European Theater from 1944 through 1945 and saw combat in the Battle of the Bulge. For his actions, he was awarded a Purple Heart and three Bronze Stars. Moreover, in 2012, the State of Maine awarded him the Silver Star Honorable Service Medal in recognition of his service to his country.

O. D. attended college through the G.I. Bill, earning a Bachelor’s degree in social studies from Iowa State Teachers College (now, the University of Northern Iowa) and a Master’s degree in education from the University of Iowa in 1952.

On June 1, 1947, O. D. married Elynor Weiss in Waterloo, Iowa. They were married for fifty-two years before Elynor’s death in 1999. Early in their marriage, they moved to Storm Lake where they raised two children: Pamela and Leonard. In 1952, O. D. became a member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, the year of the Church’s founding.

For nearly four decades, O. D. taught junior high civics and coached sports in the Storm Lake public school system before retiring in 1991. He loved teaching and attempted to instill the love of learning in his students. In his retirement years, he continued to share his joy of teaching by volunteering to teach English as a second language in Storm Lake and in Casa Grande, Arizona.

An avid golfer, Detroit Tigers fan, traveler, and teller of “corny” jokes, O. D. loved to read books on the Civil War, World War II, the Supreme Court, and the Presidents. A humble man, he cared deeply about civic responsibility and equal rights.

His family appreciates the kindness and care extended to him by the Maine Veterans’ Home staff, volunteers, and fellow residents. In his later years, they became family and gave him a home away from home.

O. D. was preceded in death by his parents, Orville and “Trudy;” his wife, Elynor; his infant daughter, Christine Marie; his step-father, I. F. Peterson; his step-sister, Joan Peterson; and his step-brother, Jack Peterson.

Those family members who will cherish his memory include: his brother, Richard Trudo, of Thorofare, New Jersey; his daughter and son-in-law, Pamela Trudo and John Leeming, of Cumberland, Maine; her son and daughter-in-law, Leonard and Meeja Trudo, of St. Louis, Missouri; and four grandchildren: Miles Trudo, of Seoul, South Korea, Haven Leeming of Chicago, Illinois, Reno Leeming, of South Portland, Maine, and Anna Trudo, of Columbus Ohio.

Visitation: 1:00-4:00 p.m., July 20, 2013, at the Storm Lake High School Media Room/Library
Interment: July 19, 2013, at the Liberty Township Cemetery in Cherokee, County.

Memorials may be made in O. D.’s memory to Storm Lake Dollars for Scholars, 119 West 6th Street, Storm Lake, Iowa, 50588.

Copyright © 2013, Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Homes

Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Homes
 

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