Obituary of Evelyn Trumbo

Evelyn TrumboA memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Eugene for Evelyn L. Trumbo of Eugene, who died Aug. 30 of age-related causes. She was 89. A private memorial Mass will be held at St. Mark Catholic Church.She was born July 7, 1921, in Eugene to George and Gladys Harwood Boqua.She married Eldon Trumbo on Aug. 26, 1939, in Vancouver, Wash. He died May 5, 1996.She graduated from Eugene High School in 1939. She was a musician.Survivors include a son, William of Phoenix, Ariz.; two daughters, Judith Jernberg of Eugene and Lora Jensen of Springfield; three grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.Arrangements by Musgrove Family Mortuary in Eugene. Remembrances to Girl Scouts of America or St. Mark Catholic Church.A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. at Bethesda Lutheran Church, 4445 Royal Avenue for Evelyn Lucille (Boqua) Trumbo. She was 89 years old, a lifetime resident of Eugene, Oregon. Evelyn was the firstborn of George Boqua & Gladys Harwood Boqua. They lived across from the original Clear Lake School on a farm that is now the Eugene airport. She attended Santa Clara School and graduated from Eugene High School in 1939. That same year she married Eldon Trumbo, recently transplanted from Kansas by dust and hard times. Eldon built a trailer, then a house on Bethel Drive, and finally their home of 46 years on Alva Park Drive. They raised three children and had many great adventures in their 60 years together. But Evelyn was much more than a mother and housewife. She was born with the gift of music. She discovered, at age 3 that she could play on the piano any song she heard. She first played barn dances with her father. Then she played professionally in nearly every piano bar, dance hall, lodge or hotel in Eugene for the next 75 years. Thousands of Lane County citizens have danced to her music. The Register-Guard featured her for her years as the music coordinator for the Musician's Ball at the Eugene Hotel. In the 1960s she became the accompanist for the Modern Dance Department at the University of Oregon. She was also an organist at St. Mark's Catholic Church for over 20 years. Evelyn continually wrote songs and poetry, sharing her gift with her church and community. On her many trips to visit Bill in San Francisco and Phoenix, she often took the stage in his home and in his favorite bar. In her retirement Evelyn played and led sing-a-longs at many nursing and community centers. She kept her Musician's Union dues paid till the very end, missing only her last scheduled performance. She never learned to read a musical score, but could remember and play almost any popular song of the last 100 years. When stumped, she'd say "Sing a few bars" and she'd take it from there. Evelyn was also a lifetime Girl Scout, a member of the Silver Trefoil, and served as an outdoor trainer for the Three Rivers Council for over 40 years. She organized Trapper Camps and her scout name was "Trouble". The Register-Guard did a feature article about "Trouble in the Woods". Evelyn was a founding member of Project Care, serving the needs of the elderly and disabled. She also served as a volunteer with the Willamette AIDS council. Her life time of volunteer work was recognized in 1991 with the awarding of the JC Penney Volunteer of the Year award. Evelyn & Eldon loved being outdoors in Oregon, whether on a motorcycle or in an RV. They camped, backpacked, and rode their horse throughout the Cascades, especially in the Three Sisters Wilderness and the Steens Mountains. A self-taught naturalist, Evelyn was able to identify every plant, tree or bird along the trail. Their adventures also included the Al-Can highway to Alaska, several cross-country RV tours and, thanks to son Bill's employment with United Airlines, travels to Europe, Hawaii & Mexico. In 2003, Evelyn moved to Solvang Retirement Center into an apartment she loved. Her view from her deck was of Mt. Baldy in the Coburg Hills, a landmark she remembered from her childhood. She regularly played both the piano and organ. Her Christmas Eve sing-a-long with family and Solvang residents was very special. Evelyn was blessed with the friendship of many. We especially acknowledge Fran and Bev Wilger and Sakre Edson, who cared deeply for her. Her family legacy includes daughter Judy Jernberg and her husband Dale and their children Michael & Dennis, and their wives Tami & Yvette; their children Nick, Lauren, Madison, Alexandria & Annie Kate, all of Eugene; son William Trumbo of Phoenix, Az; and daughter Lori Jensen and her daughter Michelle of Junction City.