Gertrude “Trudy” Riggs, 84, of Vero Beach, passed away on Jan. 19, 2015, peacefully at home after an extended illness.
She is survived by her grandson and primary caregiver, Michael Riggs; son Martin (Catherine) Riggs and two additional grandsons and one granddaughter; daughter Cheryl (John) Shulock; and brother Drs. Ronald (Marie) Gade. She is also survived by grandchildren Jacklyn (Michael) Lowe and four great-grandsons, Sandra Shulock, Ainsley and Heather Pangburn, and Julia Clauss; and goddaughter Jill Haniman Pangburn, and dear friends Patricia Clauss and Melinda Serafin.
She was predeceased by her husband John T. Riggs (US Army Ret), on Feb. 4, 1999; brother Michael Gade; and parents Dr. Herbert and Elane Gade.
Riggs, known as Trudy, was born Sept. 11, 1930, in Olyphant, Penn. She graduated from Old Forge High School, Old Forge, Penn. Upon graduation, she was the first female in Pennsylvania to enlist Post-War with the United States Army, Women’s Corp in 1949. She was trained as a cryptographic technician and served in Germany. Upon marriage, she was honorably discharged and served 10 years as a civilian in the Army Security Agency.
During her husband’s enlistment, Riggs and her family were stationed in Fort Monmouth, N.J.; Wurtzburg, Germany; Arlington, Va.; Scofield Barracks, Oahu, Hawaii; and Homestead AFB, Fla. Upon his retirement, they settled in Vero Beach and Mrs. Riggs worked as secretary for the Sunshine Physical Therapy office, from which she retired in 1985.
She and her husband were avid travelers, enjoyed bowling, and spent a great deal of their time with family and friends. They were parishioners at Holy Cross Catholic Church and season members at Riverside Theatre.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 23, 2015, at Strunk Funeral Home, Vero Beach with a Prayer Vigil at 6:30 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Holy Cross Catholic Church at 10 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015. Interment will follow in Crestlawn Cemetery with military honors conducted by the Sebastian Area Veterans’ Honor Guard. An online guestbook is available at www.strunkfuneralhome.com.
