Trail, Esther Olson (1922-2014)
TRAIL, TYSON, WESTERBERG, ANERINO, HALE, JOHNSON, ADAMS
Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 1/9/2015 at 17:12:47
Esther (Olson) Trail
July 29, 1922 - December 18, 2014Esther Genevieve Trail (née Olson), 92, formerly of Roselle, Illinois, passed away peacefully on December 18, 2014, in Naperville, Illinois.
Esther was born in Forest City, Iowa, to John and Ellen Olson on July 29, 1922. She graduated from Forest City High School in 1940 and earned her teaching degree at Waldorf College. Esther met her husband of 56 years, Orval Trail, in fifth grade, and they continued as classmates in high school and college. She was a devoted elementary school teacher for a number of years. Her deep love of children began when she babysat nephews and nieces as a teenager. This devotion to nurturing the lives and potential of children was manifest throughout her life as a schoolteacher, a mother, a Sunday school teacher for over forty years, a spouse of a public school superintendent, and a grandmother. She showed genuine delight in children, and they were naturally attracted to her interest and positive attention.
An active volunteer and leader in civic clubs, women’s groups, and numerous church activities throughout her life, Esther led a women’s Bible study for many years, drove people to church, befriended many, and supported missionaries throughout the world. She loved to travel and learn about the local culture and the history of the places she visited. She used her interest in gardening, sewing, doing crafts, writing in calligraphy, and baking among other hobbies to help others. Indeed, she would bring homemade cookies to meetings, write nametags in calligraphy for a women’s retreat, or come up with a creative visual exercise to illustrate a message in a Sunday school lesson.
Esther is remembered for her warm kindness, her sweet smile with a twinkle in her eye, her commitment to prayer, her service to others, and her amazing hot out of the oven homemade cinnamon rolls. She found great joy in creating a loving and supportive home with special holiday traditions, preparing homemade meals, and offering unconditional love. As always, a deep and abiding Christian faith in a loving God guided her life of service to others.
Esther is preceded in death by husband, Dr. Orval L. Trail; her daughter, Dr. Lora Tyson; her son-in-law Ro Tyson; her parents, John and Ellen Olson; and her siblings, Dorothy Westerberg, Lloyd Olson, and Donald Olson.
Esther is survived by three of her four daughters, Ruth Anerino (Greg), of Naperville Illinois, Beth Hale (John), of Spicewood, Texas, and Karin Trail-Johnson (Doug), of St. Paul Minnesota; her grandchildren, Todd (Emily), Brian, Scott, and Eric Anerino; Dr. Ian Tyson and Brent Tyson; Jennifer (Jason) Hale Adams; Bjorn, Erik, and Elise Trail-Johnson; and a great granddaughter, Keirra Tyson; as well as by many nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.
Visitation and the funeral service will be held at the Cataldo Schott Funeral Home (formerly Petersen Lund), 505 N. Clark St., Forest City, Iowa on Saturday, December 27th. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. followed by the funeral service at 11:00 a.m. Burial will take place at the First Baptist Cemetery (next to the Oakland Cemetery) in Forest City.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: The Orval and Esther Trail Scholarship Fund at Waldorf College, 106 S. 6th St. Forest City, Iowa 50436; World Relief, 1825 College Ave. #230, Wheaton, Illinois 60187; Fairmount Avenue Methodist Church, 1523 Fairmount Ave., St. Paul, Minnesota, 55105; or to a charity of the donor’s choosing.
Copyright © 2014, Cataldo Schott Funeral Home
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