Imogene Lorrayne Trigsted

6/25/1936 — 3/8/2019

Send a Condolence

Imogene Lorrayne Trigsted, age 82, passed away peacefully, Friday, March 8, 2019, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, due to congestive heart failure.

Imogene, fondly known as Genie, Mom and Nanny T, was born to Bert and Arvilla Ellingson on June 25, 1936, in a small-town hospital in Forest City, Iowa. She was the baby sister to brothers LeMaine and Arlo.

Mom’s early years were spent with her loving family in farming communities from Forest City and Thompson, Iowa, to Kiester, Minn. She learned what hard work was by helping her family on the farm. She enjoyed telling us stories of her driving a tractor, feeding and caring for livestock and learning to ride a horse. She also told many stories about walking with her brothers and cousins to school through the cold Iowa and Minnesota winters. Many lifelong lessons came from these years. The stories about her extended family were endless and we all enjoyed hearing them. While she only had two siblings, she had what seemed like to us, hundreds of first and second cousins, and she was as close to them as most are to their siblings.

Both her parents came from large families and they all lived in close proximity to one another. She always said growing up, that her best friends were her cousins. It was obvious that her devotion to her family and her friends comes from her early years. She and dad continued to attend family reunions in Iowa up until the summer of 2018, when both of them fell ill and were not able to go. Another early lesson that shaped our mother’s life was her upbringing in the Lutheran Church. Mom was a devoted woman of faith; she was strong in her convictions and her faith was always unwavering. She was the glue that kept us all moving in the right direction.

The Ellingson family moved west and landed in Milwaukie, Ore., where mom spent the rest of her school age years. She built lifelong relationships with friends whom she continued to nurture and love up to the last days of her life. Mom attended Portland State University, where she met and fell in love with our father, Earl James Trigsted. They were married on Nov. 25, 1955, in Milwaukie, Ore. Mom worked as a secretary and bookkeeper for Omark Industries until Mark was born in 1958. She then began what she truly believed was her life’s calling; a mother who taught her children right from wrong, and the importance of family and faith.

Three more children were born to this loving family, Lori, Todd and then Kirk. Mom began her career as a kindergarten teacher with her dear friend, Bev Davis. This led her to open Fieldcrest Kindergarten in our home in the mid-’60s. As the years passed, the Trigsted family nurtured friendships with other like-minded families in the area and we spent time with our closest relatives, the Kaisers. Again, mom made sure we all understood the value of true friendship and family.

In 1973, our father learned of an opportunity to pursue a coaching and teaching position in Idaho. In 1974, the Trigsted clan moved to Lewiston, where mother then started a private preschool at Trinity Lutheran Church where she taught, nurtured and influenced local children for many years. We still hear stories from those she taught and how much she meant to them.

As her own children were growing more independent, mom went back to college to complete her teaching degree. She graduated from Lewis-Clark State College in May 1983 and was hired to teach in the Clarkston School District, where she taught a variety of grades until her retirement in 2000. She loved her students and loved to help them see their potential. In retirement, she and dad found a love of travel. They took several trips to Europe, traveled thousands of miles across the United States to visit family, friends and other sights.

Mom was a fierce bridge player, loved playing cards with her grandchildren, except when they tried to cheat, loved cooking for her friends and family and in fact, many enjoyed her “flow blue” five-course meals. She was a lovely hostess, enjoyed putting on teas and sharing her love of antiques and her Victorian furniture. Mother had a silent strength about her. Often, she took a back seat to our father’s “larger than life” personality, but when her strength was needed, she could stand up to the best of them. She had a wonderful smile and could light up a room with it, along with her infectious laugh. She was a stickler for punctuality and God forbid one was late for a holiday meal. She was so much to so many and we will all miss her dearly.

In the 45 years our family lived in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, our parents were deeply involved in the community. Along with our dad, mom was a devoted member of Trinity Lutheran Church, having served in many capacities over the years. She truly loved following local college sporting events. She was a die-hard Cougar football fan, as well as a Lewis-Clark State College Warriors women’s basketball fan. Mom had such special friendships and loved each one of them with all of her heart and soul. You all know who you are, as there are just too many to name.

Mom devoted her life to her family, her friends and to her faith. She rarely missed a game, a match, a dance recital or a 4-H showing of her children, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She loved each of us with her full being. She is a treasure we will all take with us forever. Although she was taken from us sooner than what we would prefer, she was ready to go home. We have all been blessed by having this beautiful soul in our lives and we thank God for choosing her to be ours. Rest now, dear mother, for your work on Earth is done.

Genie is survived by her four children, Mark (Lisa), Lori McCann (Bill Jr.), Todd (Janea) and Kirk (Wendy); 11 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; her sister-in-law, Carol Trigsted Kaiser and family; along with niece Ona and nephew Arlo Ellingson; and countless cousins and friends.

A celebration of life service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 920 Eighth Ave., Lewiston, with a luncheon to follow. In lieu of flowers, you may donate to a scholarship fund established to honor our parents’ love and devotion to education. This fund will continue their legacy to better the lives of our youth, well into the future. Checks can be sent to the Earl & Genie Trigsted Scholarship, c/o Edward Jones, 1455 G St., Suite 101, Lewiston, ID 83501. Please indicate on the check memo: Trigsted Scholarship.

Print Obituary Send a Condolence Back to Listings