Trude Meyer
15 August 1924 - 22 December 2022
Trude Meyer, a woman of small stature but with outstanding resilience, optimism, energy and spirit, passed away at the age of 98. Trude was known for her humour, intellect, gracious charm and strong Jewish faith.
She always kept a kosher house and celebrated every Shabbat and Jewish holiday with a beautiful tray of homemade cakes and biscuits.
Trude was devoted to her husband Hermann Meyer, to whom she was married for 61 years, and her two sons Fred (Terry) and Harry. She lived in the Richmond district of San Francisco for 76 years and attended both Congregation Chevra Thilim and Congregation Beth Sholom. Trude and her sister Jenni came to the United States in 1946 and were taken in by their cousin Ilse Bernstein and her husband Marcus. She was proud of her three grandchildren David (Luzia), Alisa (Ken) and Michael and was especially happy to be a great-grandmother to Sydney. Trude was very close to her extended family and was an inspiration to them.
Trude was a Holocaust survivor, along with her dear sister Jenni Thompson (Walter) in the truest sense of the word. Trude and Jenni worked in impossible conditions in Nazi factories for several years and survived an icy death march at the end of the war. Trude was born and raised in Fronhausen, Germany. Her two brothers and mother were killed in the Holocaust. Trude shared her Holocaust experiences and vivid memories with the working group of non-Jewish German community members who have preserved the synagogues, cemeteries and other Jewish remains of the Fronhausen Jewish community.
She spoke to many groups about her war experiences.
Trude liked to cook and bake according to her German recipes. She and Hermann loved the opera. In later years she set about difficult jigsaw puzzles and was proud to display them. Her living room was full of family photos, and as a family historian, she kept many files of memorabilia and newspaper clippings. She had friends all over the world who showered her with birthday wishes. She loved to talk to friends and relatives on the phone and had the nickname "Butterfly" because of her sociability and as a symbol of surviving the Holocaust. She surrounded herself with many different species of butterflies that she was given and loved to show them to visitors. Trude will be sorely missed by her family, friends and community.
The Meyer family is immensely grateful to Trude's wonderful caregivers for their outstanding care and support.
Donations may be made in her memory to the Chevra Thilim and Beth Sholom communities.
Burial will be at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 29, at Eternal Home Cemetery in Colma, Calif.