Trudell E. Een

Quiet, reserved and logical are trademark qualities that friends and family might use to describe Trudell E. Een. Trudell was an intuitive person. She was the type of person who could comfortably get lost in her thoughts, someone who had tremendous problem solving abilities. Always conscientious and focused on details, Trudell was a person who loved to imagine the possibilities of life.

Trudell was born on February 2, 1950 in Mankato, Minnesota. She was the daughter of Lawrence and Elaine Een. She was raised in Medford, Minnesota and Owatonna, Minnesota. Trudell did not have to surround herself with people to be content. She was the type of person who enjoyed being alone rather than be part of a large crowd. She could be content for hours in some activity or be lost in her own imagination.

Trudell was adaptable and had good listening skills which she would use to her advantage when it came to family life. She grew up with six brothers. She had 2 older brothers, David and Richie (deceased,) and four younger brothers: Norbert, Dan, Terry, and Nathan (deceased.). She rarely shied away from family discussions. She would debate with her siblings but if it turned into an argument, Trudell would often turn it into an agreement. In general, the family got along well and shared many memorable experiences.

In grade school, Trudell gravitated toward others who shared similar interests and enjoyed academics more than physical activity. She was always curious about what made things work, and she would excel at the things that called more for "brain" power. She delighted in the projects that required planning, exploration and solution. As was evident by those who knew her, her most fun was to be found in books and in research.

During high school, Trudell excelled at the challenge of learning and was especially good at taking tests and exams. She could delight more in problem solving than in the more routine school work. As long as the intellectual challenges kept coming, Trudell was happy. In high school, Trudell was a member high school band. She attended Medford High School in her earlier high school years and graduated in 1966 from Owatonna High School.

If her friends from high school thought Trudell was a serious student, then those who knew her later really saw her shine during her college years. Once she set her sights on an academic track that excited her, she would easily pass up her classmates, turning out quality work and setting high academic standards. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in art history and Bachelor of Arts in architecture.

Trudell finally found connection and fulfillment when on January 1, 1975; she exchanged wedding vows with Mohammad Amine Hajji at Trudy's parent’s (Lawrence and Elaine) home. Mohammad was influential in Trudell's life and brought a dimension of emotion and feelings to a woman who mostly lived in her intellect. Trudell grew, blossomed and became more balanced because of their love and compassion.

Trudell was a hard worker and a good provider who loved her family even though she wasn’t very demonstrative. Trudell was blessed with two children, son, Omar, and daughter, Soraya. Trudell's sense of fun was often unleashed in her puns and witty, intelligent quips. It delighted her when the children and grandchildren would banter back and forth with her in this brainy exchange of mind contests. The children always knew how much Trudell loved them.

Finding the right type of job can be a challenge for anyone, but that was especially true for Trudell E. Een. She needed to find a career that would challenge her. Fortunately, she found a career path where she could use her natural intellect and her natural critical thinking skills. Her primary occupation was construction manager for 7 years. She was employed for 25 years as a project director with the League of Women Voters in Minnesota and California. Trudell was a dedicated and valued employee and was respected by her colleagues for her ability to grasp and understand difficult concepts.

Hobbies were more than fun for Trudell because she challenged herself to learn the theory behind the actual activity. Knowing how things worked was more incentive than just performing and completing the task. Her favorite pursuits were photography and traveling.

Friends and acquaintances usually viewed Trudell as the brains behind the operation and using this talent, she contributed a great deal to the many organizations to which she belonged. Her own ability to adapt actually helped those around her to come up with creative approaches to a variety of situations. Trudell worked hard once she became committed to a goal, and she was a strong contributor whenever it came to the planning process. Throughout her later years, Trudell was an active member of the League of Women Voters in Minnesota and California and Smart Voters in California. She became a valued and a contributing member of each volunteer organization.

Travel was a luxury for Trudell and something that she took great pleasure in doing. Trudell was at her best in the planning stages, as she did research and learned all about the places that she would be visiting. She wasn't as fond of dealing with the actual organizing, but once she put together all of the information, she was more than happy to turn it all over to someone else and let them put together the itinerary. Favorite vacations included Morocco, Spain, Mediteranean Cruise, France, Norway, and Finland.

Trudell especially enjoyed time with her pets. She could spend hours in private thought, and her faithful companions would just sit by her side or in her lap. One of Trudell's favorite cats was Jessica. They were best friends for about 10 years. Her family was rounded out by her two dogs, Laddie and Stormy, two cats, Barq and Fiona, and horse Maggie.

Trudell planned well for retirement so when it finally arrived in 2008, she was well prepared. She worked out many of the details in advance so that she could enjoy the time and not have to worry. Her new life involved relocating to Almaden Valley San Jose, Ca.

Trudell E. Een passed away on August 5, 2010 at home in Almaden San Jose, California. Trudell's later years were marked by a long battle with cancer which she faced with courage, devotion, resilient joy that defined her life. She is survived by husband Amine, son Omar, daughter Soraya, her brothers David, Norbert, Dan and Terry. Services were held at Chapel of Roses at Oak Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park, San Jose, California. Trudell was laid to rest in the Sunshine section of the Oak Hill Memorial Park, San Jose, California.

Those who knew and loved Trudell will miss her quiet gentleness, her curiosity and her ability to often turn work situations into fun experiences. She leaves all those who knew her with many wonderful memories.

Trudell Elaine Een, 60, passed away with grace and peace at home with her family in San Jose, CA on Thursday, August 5th, 2010.

Trudell was born to Lawrence and Elaine Een on February 2, 1950 in Mankato, MN. She held her own among six brothers, bringing a mixture of warmth and spunk to their Minnesota farm house. She graduated from Owatonna High School in 1968 and matriculated in Architecture and in Art History at the University of Minnesota. While working at the International Student House to pay her way through college, she met Amine Hajji, a Moroccan graduate student. That chance encounter blossomed into a loving relationship and the pair pronounced their “I do’s” on January 1, 1975, a date that marked the beginning of a thirty five year odyssey of love, partnership, and friendship.

After earning her degrees in 1977, Trudell became a construction manager for multi-million dollar projects ranging from multiple-unit housing to a skyway in downtown Minneapolis. She designed and built their family home in Cannon Falls, Minnesota just in time to welcome her first child, Omar, in 1984; two years later, daughter Soraya joined the family. To her children she was a patient coach and loyal fan, but most of all a ready friend who shared in their fun, listened to their problems, and encouraged them to pursue their passions to the fullest.

With the arrival of her children she also shifted her energy from the corporate world into the world of her family and community, choosing to remain at home and volunteer her time with the Minnesota League of Women Voters. She served on their Board of Directors, on the Executive Committee and as President of the LWV of Cannon Falls. In 1989 she won a state grant to begin a recycling pilot program for her township, creatively enlisting students as advocates to gain community-wide acceptance. The pilot’s success led to rural Minnesota’s first permanent recycling program.

Trudell moved to San Jose with her family in 1994, preceded by her reputation as a leader and a consensus builder. In 1996 she became President of the LWV of San Jose/Santa Clara and a founder of SmartVoter.org, a one-stop source for voter information online. As Project Director, she championed the use of the website to support elections and oversaw its expansion from two counties in Silicon Valley to twenty five counties across California and several more in New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Smart Voter won international recognition as a Stockholm Challenge finalist in 1999 and again in 2002; a year later it became a laureate of the Knight Ridder Equality Award which Trudell accepted from CEO Tony Ridder at a Tech Museum Awards gala attended by Silicon Valley business leaders and delegates from the United Nations. Trudell received a Women of Achievement Award from The Woman’s Fund in 2001 for her key role in the success of Smart Voter. In 2009 she was honored at the Smart Voter Spring Luncheon where she received an Excellence Award from her peers and was presented with a commemorative plaque in recognition of her outstanding service to the League and San Jose by Mayor Chuck Reed.

Trudell’s later years were marked by a long and difficult battle with cancer, which she faced with the courage, devotion, and resilient joy that defined her life. In her final years and months, she found the strength to attend her children’s graduation ceremonies from UCLA and Brown University; joined family celebrations in Florida, Morocco, France, and Finland; and completed a life’s-first trip to Yosemite National Park with her husband and close friends. Her family remains ever grateful for the outpouring of love from friends and family which supported her and them throughout these final years, filling her last memories with a tenderness that she cherished.

Trudell is survived by her husband, Mohammed Amine Hajji; son Omar Een Hajji; daughter Soraya Een Hajji; brothers and their spouses: David and Theresa, Norbert, Daniel and Yvette, and Terrence and Cynthia; sister-in-law Christine and Lane Hobbs; stepmother Gertrude Een; nephews Eric and David; and nieces Jennifer, Sara, Emily, Elizabeth, and Erin. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lawrence and Elaine, brothers Richard and Nathan, Norbert’s wife Ann, Daniel’s first wife Beverly, and her parents-in-law Abdelkrim Hajji and Khadija Slimani.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Trudell at the Chapel of Roses at the Oak Hill Memorial Park, San Jose, on August 28th, from 10:00 to 11:30AM followed by a lunch reception. For those who want to honor her memory with a donation, please consider contributing to the Trudell Een Legacy Fund at www.SmartVoter.org/Trudell.

Arrangements under the direction of Oak Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park, San Jose, CA.