Dominican Sister of Peace Gertrude (Trudy) Tanner, OP, 78, died on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at St Catherine Hospital in Garden City. She was born on April 22, 1940, the daughter of Esther Marie Schlingerman and Ivan in Newark, OH. She entered the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs, now the Dominican Sisters of Peace, in 1958. She celebrated 60 years of consecrated life in 2018.
Sister Trudy received her Bachelor of Arts from Ohio Dominican College in 1965 and taught in Ohio, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. In 1973 she earned her Masters in Education from the University of Dayton, in 1977 received her C.P.E. Certificate from Riverside Methodist Hospital and in 1982 her Masters in Pastoral Ministry from Catholic University. She began serving in religious education in 1979, and in 1984 was named the Associate Director of Rural Religion Education for the Archdiocese of Louisville.
In 1988 she moved to Port Richey, Florida where she was Pastoral Associate and Director of Adult Catholic Formation for St James the Apostle Parish. In 2007 she was named to the same position at St Magdalen Parish in Bloomfield, Iowa.
In 2013 she moved to Garden City, KS, where she envisioned a place where trafficked women and their children could be safe. After tireless effort, her dream was realized and the Oasis of Peace Center opened in the Spring of 2018. The Oasis of Peace Center is a testament to Sister Trudy’s Gospel passion and dedication.
Sr. Trudy touched many, many people during her 60 years of ministry. One priest at a parish where she served said, "I mentioned to the people at my parish how appropriate it was that she passed away at Pentecost, as she was FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT and SET THE WORLD ON FIRE wherever she went!"
She was preceded in death by her parents, Esther and Ivan, and her brother, William. She is survived by her sister, Marianne Lee of Newark, OH, and Kathleen Marie Brooker of Pataskala, OH, many nieces and nephews, and her Dominican Sisters of Peace Sisters
Sr. Trudy's life was celebrated at St. Dominic Church in Garden City, KS, with a Vigil Service on Tuesday, May 29 and a Memorial Mass Wednesday, May 30. She returned to her birthplace of Ohio to be laid to rest, where a Vigil of Remembrance Service was held on Thursday, June 7, with a Funeral Mass on Friday, June 8, at the Columbus Motherhouse Chapel in Columbus, OH. Sister Trudy was laid to rest at St. Joseph Cemetery in Columbus, OH.
Memorials are suggested to:
Dominican Sisters of Peace
2320 Airport Drive
Columbus, OH, 43219,
You may also give to the Oasis Of Peace in care of:
Garnand Funeral Home
412 North 7th
Garden City, KS 67846
Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com.