Gertrude Marie Langsjoen

  Research Notes:

Trudy Rodine -- [ Gertrude Marie Langsjoen ]
Trudy Rodine, a longtime Ellensburg resident, died Friday, March 21, at home in Nampa, Idaho, after a long illness. She was 84.
Trudy was a woman of great energy, grace, compassion and creativity, able to quickly connect with people of all ages and backgrounds. She worked exceedingly hard, but there was a remarkable warmth and ease about her, enabling her to put others at ease and inspire the best in them.
She spent her life in college towns, and it suited her. She loved to read and learn, and she was a gifted teacher, inspiring many hundreds of schoolchildren and aspiring educators in college classrooms. She loved flowers, fashion, hosting dinner parties and all things beautiful.
She was born Gertrude Marie Langsjoen on April 24, 1929, in Otter Tail County, Minn., the seventh of eight children born to Nels P. and Alma W. Langsjoen. The family soon moved from Fergus Falls to St. Peter, where her father - and, later, two brothers - taught at Gustavus Adolphus College.
As a student at Gustavus, Trudy met her life partner, Floyd Rodine. They married on Aug. 15, 1948, and spent the early years of their marriage in Nebraska and South Dakota, where daughters Debbie and Kristin were born.
In 1955 the family moved to Ellensburg, Wash., and started a long relationship with Central Washington University, where Floyd and later Trudy joined the faculty. Trudy completed her bachelor's degree at Central, earned a master's degree and launched the teaching career she loved.
She taught in grade schools in Ellensburg, Moses Lake and Kennewick, Wash., as well as London, England. She also taught at Eastern Washington University and was a longtime member of Central's teacher education department, focusing primarily on early childhood education and language arts. In 1981, she published "The Pioneer Experience," a detailed account of an immersion experience she conducted for young students at Central's Hebeler Elementary School.
Floyd Rodine died in 1977. Later marriages, to Ed Pederson and to Cliff Wolfsehr, ended in divorce.
Although Trudy's career sometimes brought her to other communities, she maintained her home and "country garden" in Ellensburg until the end of 2009, when diminished health prompted a move to Nampa, Idaho.
She was preceded in death by her parents, four siblings and her husband, Floyd Rodine. She is survived by daughters Debbie Rodine in California and Kristin Rodine (Dan Greer) in Idaho; granddaughter Shannon Richardson and great-grandson Hunter Richardson; brothers Ralph and Arne Langsjoen; sister Alma Halverson; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Trudy was a warm, bright light enriching all of our lives and the lives of countless students and their families. A gathering in her honor will be held later this spring in Ellensburg.

Published in Daily Record from Mar. 27 to Apr. 3, 2014
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Gertrude married Floyd Henry Rodine.