At 11:11 p.m. on August 18th, on a full moon, Trudy Bulkley, known affectionately as Mother Goose, died peacefully with her family by her side after a brief and unexpected battle with AML. Two weeks before, she was working in her garden, doing yoga, tending to her bonsai, an active member of her book group, having friends over for delicious meals she made, walking her beloved dog Maggie, playing Wordle, being in touch with friends and family near and far, practicing for her piano recital, writing postcards to remind people to vote, and being Mother Goose at preschools and her monthly gig at Kerrytown.
Trudy was born in Kansas City, Missouri on November 23, 1942. She is predeceased by her parents John and Gertrude Oliver, her older brother John Oliver, and her husband of 57 years, Jonathan Bulkley. She is survived by her sister Zimra Korp (Avraham), her brother David Oliver (Mary Gresham), her son Nathaniel (Candace), daughter Nancy (Noah Rosenzweig), two grandchildren, Nina Rosenzweig and Miles Bulkley, nephews Reginald and Andrew Bulkley, and many other dear relations and friends.
Trudy and Jonathan grew up one block from each other in Kansas City but first met on Cape Cod when she was 16. They married in 1962. She graduated from Wellesley College and took a job teaching 4th grade at the Fessenden boys school. They moved to Washington D.C. where Nathaniel was born. When he was a baby they moved to Ann Arbor, where Nancy was born. Trudy became a docent at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, worked at the Ecumenical Campus Center, and was an administrator at the Center for Chinese Studies. She thought seriously about law school, took the LSAT, but decided it would be more fun to become Mother Goose. For decades Trudy delighted children with her Gander puppet and a basket full of props for reciting nursery rhymes and encouraging children to participate too. Jonathan would join her at Kerrytown taking pictures of the children that they could pick up later and take home.
Trudy could find beauty in the most unexpected places, loved collecting stones from all her travels, and found kindred spirits in friends she held dear. She had a contagious curiosity and sense of wonder for the natural world, the human condition, music, art and the written word. Trudy was always looking out for special, unique, wonderful things, whether it was a stone on the beach, a friend, or a poem. She would treasure them all and find comfort and connection.
She was a good listener, editor, and explainer, with an ability to make complex subjects accessible. She was bright, down-to-earth, had a fierce kindness and a good sense of humor. Her emotional intelligence, sensitivity, and love of learning will stay with us. She will be sorely missed by her family and wonderful friends. We are grateful we had her so long, that she was who she was, and that she was able to live her life fully until almost the end. She was, and we are, grateful for all the doctors, nurses, and friends who helped her. She died ten years to the day after her mother.