Maria Gertrude Zarowsky, passed away on 8 October at 3:30 in the afternoon. She was known to all her friends as Trudy. Our Mother was born on 28 January 1913 in her beloved city of Aachen, Germany, a place she missed until the day she died. She left Germany in 1953 to join her husband who had immigrated a few years before to Cleveland, Ohio. After a few years of working hard and saving money, they moved to Richmond, Maine where they purchased a farm house on Dingley Road. Mother was ecstatic! She and Father planted huge gardens from which she lovingly canned the winter supply of food. She was ahead of her time - she wandered the fields picking medicinal plants and wild berries, practiced organic gardening and eating, recycled and reused, from the 1950s on. She became a vegetarian in the early 90s. She left a very light footprint on the earth but left a heavy mark encouraging others to respect the earth. She loved playing the piano, listening to classical music, knitting. She was an incredible baker, and had “the touch” in adding herbs and spices to her delicious multi-course meals often shared by a table filled with friends. And in spite of having lived through 2 World Wars, still had a sense of humor. One of her sayings was: “humor is when one laughs in spite of it all.” Our Mother’s wishes were to be cremated and no service. If you would like to remember Trudy, donations to an environmental cause would make her very happy.

Predeceased on 3 October 1968 by her husband Nikola Zarowsky, born in Russia. Still here to remember her are her son John Maichle of San Diego, California; her daughters Maria Kompaniet of Grants Pass, Oregon and Vera Zarowsky of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Her grandchildren, Nicholas, Johnny, Peter, Odilia, Stephen, and great grandchildren Reilly, Marissa, Jada, Lily, and Maggie.

Special thanks to the Kotow family, Robert Hathaway, and the staff at Gray Birch Rehabilitation and Nursing Home, Augusta.