| Notes |
- Longtime Susanville resident and community volunteer Irene D. Trout passed away the morning of May 12th, following a short and pain-free fight with cancer. She celebrated her 90th birthday in January at a surprise birthday party in Chico arranged by her daughter, Linda Purdy From. Friends and family from throughout California and as far away as Oslo, Norway, and Idaho attended.
She was born January 25, 1925, in Boise, Idaho, to Jesus “Jess” and Josefa (Pagoaga) Bengoa, who were both born in Spain. The family soon moved to California where her brother, Louis, was born in 1926. Her father worked at the California Fruit Exchange and the family lived in the Fruit Growers area of Susanville.
She attended local schools, graduating with the Class of 1943 at Lassen High School where she worked on the yearbook, “Rays of Purple.” Following her passion to become a nurse, she moved to San Francisco and attended classes at Children’s Hospital. She then completed post-graduation course work at Cook County Hospital in Chicago.
Irene worked as the Nursing Supervisor at the Lassen County Hospital for 10 years. In 1963, she became Nurse Supervisor II at the opening of the California Correctional Center, working there until retirement in 1987. She attended nursing conferences in numerous locations, including Tokyo and Singapore, and kept her nursing license throughout her life, making many life-long friends over her career.
In retirement, she remained busy with community organizations, ever in service to others. She was appointed to the Lassen Community College Board of Trustees, Area 1, in 1994, and successfully ran for a four-year term in 1996. She also served for a period as board chair. She was instrumental in organizing a local volunteer base for the Red Cross in 2002, and helped originate the local hospice organization.
Every month Irene was a dependable volunteer for the community commodities distribution, and was a volunteer for the local Salvation Army. She chaired the Citizen’s Advisory Committee for the California Correctional Center and High Desert State Prison, and helped organize yearly retiree activities for the California Correctional Center.
She also served as a past officer and participant in several local senior citizen organizations.
Her other memberships included the California State Employees Association, the Nataqua Neversweats RV group, and area Basque associations. She was also active in the Lassen High School Alumni Association.
Irene was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, serving many years on the church’s Caring and Sharing Committee and delivering the sacrament to homebound parishioners. She routinely visited the sick and “adopted” persons who could use her assistance. Throughout her life, she was committed to charity and service to others.
She married James Purdy of Purdy Brothers’ Logging and raised a daughter Linda Marie. Later in life, she was a 35-year companion to Chuck Mankins, who died in 2007. She is survived by her daughter Linda Purdy From (Nick) of Oslo, Norway; Sarlat, France; and Chico; grandsons Nikolai of Los Angeles and Alexander of San Francisco, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church at 11:00 AM on Saturday, May 16th, followed by a reception at Monsignor Moran Hall.
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1925 - 2015 (90 years)
