Margaret Laughlin Trautman

Margaret (Marge) Trautman, 81, reached the end of a valiant battle with ovarian cancer on June 5, 2025 at Gilchrist Hospice Center in Columbia, Maryland, surrounded by her children and her loving husband of 45 years, Fred Trautman.

Born in 1944 in Baltimore, MD, Marge grew up in the city, graduating from Eastern High School and then University of Maryland, where she studied Education and soon thereafter became a kindergarten teacher at Hampden Elementary School in the Baltimore City Public Schools.

Marge stopped teaching in 1970 when she had her son Christopher Lambros, who was followed by her daughter Jessica (Smith) in 1973. Marge moved to Columbia in 1972 and remained a proud Columbian the rest of her life.

By the late 1970s, Marge had met and married Fred Trautman, and in the process gained a stepson, Eric Trautman. That era also saw her begin what became a long and vibrant career as a librarian in the Howard County Library System, a career which began with her traversing the entire county as the driver of the Bookmobile.

Later, Marge helped open the system’s downtown Columbia Central branch, as well as the later East Columbia location. She was a fiction specialist who became well known for her vast knowledge of books, especially her beloved genre of mystery. In 1991, Marge was proud to earn a Masters of Library Science degree from the University of Maryland. After retirement, Marge continued to serve the library for years as a substitute librarian.

Marge was also a sought-after leader of various book groups and clubs, an example of which was her beloved mystery book club, The Usual Suspects, which has been in existence for over 25 years.

Indeed with Marge, her love of books was her ever-present passion. She always had a stack of books she was working her way through, and after retirement she would be regularly seen back at her beloved library checking out the latest stack.

Marge was also a woman of varied other interests. An avid traveler, Marge journeyed far and wide with Fred and other family and friends. Favorite destinations included Hawaii, England, and Sedona, AZ, among many others. She was also an unrepentant cat lover, owning many during her life, as well as a lover of birds. Marge and Fred could also be seen at many a local bar or restaurant’s trivia night, playing on a regular team with other trivia lovers.

Marge was predeceased by her father, Harold Torbet and mother, Gertrude Torbet, and sisters Nancy Kramer and Mary Kathryn Torbet. Survivors include her three children, Christopher, Jessica and Eric, and the four grandchildren to whom Marge was amazingly devoted: Cole, 23, Abby, 18, Trevor, 14 and Ainsley, 13. This devotion was ever-apparent as Marge attended countless events featuring her grandchildren, including many trips to Chicago once her youngest grandchild, Ainsley, was born in that area.

A Celebration of Life for Marge will be held on July 29, 2025 at 4:00pm at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia Owen Brown Interfaith Center, 7246 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD 21045.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be sent to Baltimore Animal and Care Shelter (BARCS), whose donation page can be reached at https://www.barcs.org/donate or by calling 410-396-4695.