Trudy (Burns) Fairweather passed to spirit on the sunny, breezy morning of June 12, 2021, at her peaceful home on Camano Island, WA, surrounded by love. Born October 13, 1938, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy (given name Gertrude Mary) was the eldest daughter of Gertrude "Gertie" (Goneau) Burns and Ernest "Ernie" D. Burns.

A 1956 graduate of Somerville High School, Trudy got her first job at a department store while in school. In 1957, she began her bookkeeping profession with a position at National Research Corporation (NRC) and soon after moved into a studio apartment on Beacon Hill in Boston.

After joining the Otter Ski Club in North Conway, NH with other 20-somethings from the Boston area, she took up snow and water skiing on weekends, both of which came naturally thanks to her love of physical activity. (Her daughters fondly remember her teaching them to ice skate and play catch with a ball and glove.) She met her future husband Roy at the club, married in 1965, moved to West Newton, MA, had three children, and later divorced.

In 1979, Trudy left her payroll and accounts receivable position at Babson College and moved with her young daughters to Monroe, WA where her cousin Mary's family had set down roots. In Monroe, she worked in bookkeeping positions at Wolfkill Feed & Fertilizer and Valley General Hospital and spent 15 years with the Everett and Snohomish School Districts as a payroll and benefits specialist, retiring in 2003 with a celebratory honoring by her family and friends.

A talented gardener and prize-winning quilter, she magically brought her sense of style, meticulousness, and love of uncommon colors, shapes, and patterns to both. She encouraged her daughters and grandsons to play instruments, listen to music, try new foods, places, and activities. She enjoyed her retirement doing all these things and carrying on her love of travel and of beaches and coastlines, especially with her group of close friends, affectionately called the Gabalots.

Trudy maintained a lifelong connection to the Boston area, attending many high school and NRC reunions, and never lost her accent, which her neighbors, grandchildren, and hospice team especially adored.

She often said that she considered her children and grandchildren her greatest gift and proudest accomplishment. They considered her one of the strongest, most resilient people they knew. They remember her for celebrating their milestones, listening well, helping guide them to decide what was best for them, and encouraging them not to forget to enjoy.

She'll be remembered for her curiosity, sense of humor, easy smile, and inability to resist a swing or to sit still when a good song came on. Trudy believed that we are always learning until the day we die, that adversity brings strength, and that life and love are precious. She lived all of it to the end.

Her younger siblings Bobby (Robert) Burns, Kathy (Kathleen) Burns (Lavargna), and Marie Burns, her nephew Rick Lavargna and niece April Lavargna preceded her in death, joining her beloved mother ("Nana") Gertie, who passed when Trudy was just 31, and her father Ernest.

Trudy is survived by her daughters Amy (Fairweather) Burghart of Bellingham, WA, Jill Fairweather of Rockland, MA, and Tami Fairweather of New Orleans, LA; her son-in-law Doug Burghart; her grandsons Nolan and Clay Burghart; her cousin Mary (Goneau) Harding and Mary's husband Roy. She also leaves behind her nieces and nephews Susan, Robert, Annette, and Michael and their children, all of Massachusetts; her godson David Harding and his sister Lisa; and many dear cousins, extended family, and friends from throughout her life, including all the Gabalots and her longest friends Betty and Renie.

Trudy's family and friends are celebrating her life through the joy of connection and the beauty of nature, per her wishes. We invite anyone that knew and loved her to do the same. And in Trudy's words, remember to be good to yourself.

Trudy and her family prefer that remembrances be made to Hospice of the Northwest Foundation at www.hospicenw.org or Blue Skies for Children at www.blueskiesforchildren.org , rather than any of the links you may see on this page.