Obituary of Mary Lou Trailer

Mary Lou Trailer, age 72, died at home Friday, February 26 following six years battling a rare auto-immune disease.

Mary Lou was born on March 23, 1948 in Wisconsin Rapids.  She was the third of eight children born to Orville and Inez Marti and graduated from Lincoln High School. She was married and moved to Madison in 1968.  She attended Madison College after both daughters were in elementary school, graduating with a diploma in practical nursing.  Mary Lou was strong, independent and determined to support her girls.  She worked multiple jobs and retired from Group Health Cooperative after more than 30 years in service to the Madison area community. Mary Lou was united in marriage to Richard Trailer in 1991 at the Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian Church where she remained an active member until the time of her death.  Dick and Mary met through a club, Skilaufers and connected on a ski hill in the Upper Peninsula.

Mary Lou enjoyed gardening, cooking and reading, devouring multiple books in a week.  In recent years, she stayed connected with her large family though her “FacePad” with tech support provided by the grandkids. She loved her family deeply, taking great pride and comfort in each of her grand babies and time spent with her siblings. Annual Sisters’ Shopping Weekend will not be the same without her creativity and mischievousness.  

Mary Lou is survived by her husband of 29 years, Richard Trailer, daughters Kerri (Karl) Kliminski and Kristi (James) Hohlstein; 5 Grandchildren: Cassie Hohlstein, Kaitlyn Kliminski, Cory Hohlstein, Kayla Kiliminski and Connor Hohlstein; All seven siblings: Gloria (Walter) Oravez, Ramona (Myron) Lubeck, Linda (Wally) Ives, Rod (Nancy) Marti, Peggy (Bill) Sommerfeldt, Jody (James) Bergeson, and Barbara (Mike) Kempfert; And over twenty nieces and nephews including Laury Jensen who provided countless hours of hospital & emotional support.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Orville & Inez Marti, Stepfather Harold Neufeld and mother-in-law Julia Trailer.

The family would like to thank the Cambridge/Jefferson EMT’s and countless nurses and doctors of UW Hospital & Dialysis for their care and service in recent years.

Private family visitation will be 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM with a brief service held at 3:00 PM on Friday, March 5, 2021 at the Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian Church, Cambridge, Wisconsin with Rev. Scott Wheeler officiating. Burial will follow immediately at the Lake Ripley Cemetery, Town of Oakland, Wisconsin. The service will be available for live steam through the Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian Church Facebook site.