Gertrud "Trudi" M. Dow

Gertrud “Trudi” Maria Dow, 86, of Plymouth, NH, died during the morning hours of August 24, 2026, holding her husband’s hand; Willie and Trudi, the two of them side by side, as they had been for 67 years.

Trudi was born November 17, 1939, in Pirmasens, Germany, to Magdalena Pfundstein and Fredrich Huber as the youngest of 5 children. Trudi met her husband, Willie Bert Dow Jr., a US Army soldier stationed nearby, when she was just 19 years old at a Halloween party. As the story goes, Trudi asked Willie to dance during “ladies choice,” he walked her home afterward, and the rest is history. They were married for 67 years and never stopped dancing together, even if it was just in their living room.

Shortly after getting married, Trudi and Willie moved back to the US and settled in Plymouth, NH where Trudi spent their early family years being a homemaker and raising their three sons, Billy, Jeff, and Peter. Trudi would tell you that raising her three boys and being the matriarch of her family was her pride and joy. When the time came that all her sons were off to grade school, Trudi began working at Plymouth State College at the Prospect Dining Hall. Trudi became a motherly figure for many students at PSC who were far from home - she took pride in making sure they were always greeted warmly and that all the students were well fed on her watch. She became so adored by the students campus wide, that one year they lovingly honored her with a yearbook dedication. Trudi remained at this job until retirement, and she often looked back on those years with fond stories of her interactions with students.

Trudi ultimately welcomed six grandchildren, earning the traditional German moniker of “Oma” as the most affectionate term of endearment - grandchildren, family and friends of all ages referred to her as “Oma.” Being a grandmother was her life’s greatest joy. She was the kind of grandparent to attend all the school events, games, and special occasions. Trudi’s grandchildren will remember the way she always dressed beautifully for every occasion, the way she decorated her home for every holiday, her magical gardens filled with angel statues and beautiful birdbaths, all the wonderful memories of holidays hosted at her home, the way she would serve them snacks (or as she called them “nibbles”) from the moment they walked through her door, and all the many family traditions she created that will continue in her memory.

Trudi enjoyed taking long walks, gardening, decorating her home, reading mystery and romance novels, camping in her pop-up camper, or taking road trips along the East Coast with her husband, spending her summers at Ashland Beach with her “beach buddies”, and attending mass every Sunday at St. Matthew's Parish in Plymouth. What she enjoyed most though, was having everyone together in one room and spending time with the beautiful families that her sons created with their amazing wives, children, and grandchildren.

Trudi is survived by her husband, Willie Bert Dow Jr., their oldest son William Bert Dow “Bill” and his wife Karen of Meredith, her middle son Jeffrey Mark Dow and his wife Ann of Holderness, and their youngest son Peter Allen Dow and his wife Katherine of Bow, along with her six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren: Dexter Dow and his daughter Delaney, Jordan Dow (Maddie) and their children Callen and Walter; Devan Byers (Evan) and their son Brody; Aaron Dow (Eliza) and their children Jameson and Eleanor; Dillon Dow; and Evan Dow.

Services: A graveside service will be held on Saturday, September 5th beginning at 11AM at the Riverside Cemetery in Plymouth, NH. A reception will immediately follow the burial in the Foster Room at the Common Man Inn in Plymouth, NH. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Compassus Living Foundation online or by mail: 1 Bedford Farms, Suite 2D, Bedford, NH 03110. 

Assisting the family with arrangements is the Cremation Society of NH.

To view Gertrud’s Online Tribute, send condolences to the family, or for more information, visit www.csnh.com.