Brooklyn Park, Minnesota - Gertrude Julianne Leville, 94, passed away peacefully on March 2, 2026 at home with her family at her side.

She is survived by David, her beloved husband of 64 years. Together they raised four children: Gabriella Hirthe (Dieter), Theresa Fong (Richard), Michael (Kasia), and Christopher (Shonalie). Gertrude was immensely proud of her eight grandchildren — Sophie, Cecilia, Julia, Cassandra, Nathan, Adela, Neil, and Samuel — and found special joy in her great-grandson, Luke, who was a true delight to her.

Gertrude was born on April 22, 1931, in Chernivtsi (known at the time as Chernovitz, Romania) to Johann and Josephina Burgher. As a teenager near the end of World War II, she emigrated with her mother to West Berlin. She endured the hardships of postwar reconstruction, experienced the Berlin Airlift of 1948, and lived through the tensions of the Cold War in the American Sector just a few blocks from the Berlin Wall . It was there that she met David while he was stationed in Berlin with the United States Army.

In 1962, Gertrude immigrated to Minnesota, where she and David were married at St. John the Baptist church in Savage. In 1965, they made their home in Brooklyn Center and later Brooklyn Park, where they raised their family and built a life grounded in faith, resilience, and love.

Gertrude loved gardening, cultivating an extensive and beautiful rose garden that reflected her patience and devotion. She also cherished the arts, especially performances at the Guthrie Theater. A woman of deep faith, she was a dedicated parishioner of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Brooklyn Center and later Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Minneapolis.

Gertrude's life was marked by perseverance, devotion to family, deep faith, and an enduring appreciation for beauty. She will be dearly missed and lovingly remembered.

Funeral visitation will be held from 10-11 a.m. on Saturday, March 7, at Washburn-McReavy Funeral Chapel in Robbinsdale, with funeral interment services to follow at Glen Haven Memorial Gardens in Crystal.