Trudy Jill Stewart

Trudy was born on April, 2, 1949 in Champaign, Illinois, to Dr. Wayne and Edna “Billie” (Goetzke) Van Huss. She attended East Lansing High School where she “…turned around on the bus…” and saw the young man she knew she was going to marry. Trudy and Stephen Stewart were married on March 17, 1973, in East Lansing, Michigan, beginning a life rooted in devotion, partnership, and family.

Trudy graduated from Lansing Community College in 1971 with a degree in nursing and dedicated 40 years of her life to caring for others as a registered nurse at Edward W. Sparrow Hospital. She was deeply respected for her compassion, skill, and unwavering commitment to her patients. In 1993, she was honored as Sparrow Hospital’s first-ever Nurse of the Year, a recognition that reflected both her professional excellence and the kindness she brought into every room she entered.

Trudy was selfless, unconditionally loving, kind, caring, and endlessly giving—truly a once-in-a-lifetime kind of person. She had a way of making people feel safe, seen, and loved, and she gave of herself without hesitation. Her guiding belief, and the way she lived her life, was simple and true: “Life is too short.”

Trudy was preceded in death by her father, Wayne and her mother, Billie. She is survived by her husband, Steve; her daughters, Stephenie (Jared) Brummette and Kerri (Brent) Reeve; and her cherished grandchildren, Mackenzie, Ashton, Tucker, and Treva. She is also survived by her sisters, Terry (Jamie) Golden, Randie (Curt) Black, Joie (Marty) West and Amy (Tom) Blasen, along with many extended family members, friends, colleagues, and all those whose lives were better because they knew her.

Trudy’s love, strength, and generosity will live on through her family and through the countless lives she touched. She will be deeply missed and forever loved.

Visitation will be held Thursday, January 15, 2026 from 6:00-8:00 pm and Friday, January 16, 2026 from 5:00-8:00 pm at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes East Chapel, 1730 East Grand River, East Lansing, MI 48823.

Celebration of Life service will be held Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 11:00 am at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes East Chapel with visitation one hour prior.

Interment will be at East Lawn Memory Gardens 2400 Bennett Road, Meridian Township, MI 48864.

In lieu of flowers, Trudy requested donations be made to the Capital Area Humane Society www.cahs-lansing.org 7095 W. Grand River Ave, Lansing, MI 48906 and Habitat for Humanity www.habitatmichigan.org.