Gertruda "Trudy" Gray

Gertruda Maria Van Hoye Gray, 90, fondly known as Trudy, died on January 28, 2025, surrounded by her beloved children and old friends. Until recently, she had resided for more than 50 years at her family home in Center Township, Beaver County.

A native of the Netherlands, Trudy was born on February 8, 1934, the oldest of five children to Eugene and Irma (d’Hooghe) Van Hoye, in Sint Jansteen, a village in the southern Dutch province of Zeeland.  Her father ran a butcher shop on the village square. As a young girl, she wore wooden shoes and walked past windmills – and with her family, endured the Nazi occupation of Holland during World War II. 

As a young woman, she moved to nearby Brussels, Belgium where she worked as a secretary at the Common Market, becoming fluent in five languages and conversational in several more. At age 90, she was studying Italian and had plans to work on her Spanish.

It was also in Brussels that she met her beloved husband, Herbert Gray, an American medical student. They married in 1963 and came to the United States, first living in New England and New York, then in Pennsylvania and finally settling in Beaver County where Herb started a medical practice and they raised their four children. Although Trudy was proud to become a naturalized American citizen, her Dutch sensibilities remained: fresh-baked bread, gouda cheese and hagelslag chocolate sprinkles from Van’s Dutch Store were always in her kitchen. Vermeer, Rembrandt and Delft plates adorned the walls.

Trudy’s love of language fueled many fulfilling activities throughout her life.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh, and penned articles and profile pieces for the Beaver County Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, newspapers in eastern Ohio and regional magazines.  For many years, she maintained correspondences with friends and family around the world. In her later years, she wrote several short novels based on her young adulthood and her family history in Europe and the United States.

Childhood visits to her Dutch grandmother’s farm had nurtured a love for animals, and the Gray home always had multiple cats, a dog and other assorted creatures. She was particularly fond of her golden retriever Teddy, peek-a-poo Buddy and her grumpy guard cat, Duffy, who is mourning her now.

Trudy is survived by her children,  Karen Gray (Michael Dougan) of Harrisburg, Susan Gray (Martin Romano) of Boston, MA; Julian Gray of Venetia, and Robert Gray of Truckee, CA; grandchildren Jacob, Matthew, Percy and Kelly; her sister Elly Ishaaya (Isaac) of Ness Ziona, Israel; and brothers Albert Van Hoye of North Bay, Canada; and Emile Van Hoye (Marilyn) of Auckland, New Zealand, and many cousins, nieces and nephews in Europe and around the world. She was preceded in death by her husband Herbie; brother Eugene Van Hoye of Mechelen, Belgium; and most recently by her sister-in-law Corry Van Hoye of North Bay, Canada. Memorial donations may be made in Trudy’s name to the Beaver County Humane Society and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The family would like to thank caring friends and neighbors, and all the wonderful people at Ridgecrest Senior Living and Commonwealth Hospice. A celebration of her life will be held privately at a later date.   

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