Tribute Page for Gertrude Alagero

Gertrude Alagero

“She enjoyed life to the fullest”

Friends, family remember former Saugus resident Trudi Alagero

Those who were close to Gertrude “Trudi” Alagero say there was not a soul she encountered that she did not affect in a positive way. Whether it was her engaging smile, her love of children or her overall enthusiasm for being on planet Earth, her friends and family say that Trudi had a way of making people feel good.

“She truly enjoyed life to the fullest,” said her brother Paul. “She was just such a dynamic individual. I’m truly blessed that I had 37 great years with my sister. She just enjoyed all facets of life.”

Trudi had celebrated her 37th birthday the weekend before the fateful Tuesday, Sept. 11 when she was killed after a hijacked airplane collided with Tower 1 of the World trade Center, where she was working on the 94th floor. She is survived by her mother Marie Alagero, three older brothers, Stephen, Charlie and Paul, and four nieces and nephews. Trudi grew up on Chestnut Street in Saugus and was a 1982 graduate of Saugus High School. She also joined all three of her brothers as graduates of Providence College, where she earned her degree in 1986.

The night before the incident, Trudi and her fiancé Peter Walther had been making plans for their Jan. 5 wedding by listening to tapes and reading books on Africa where they planned to go for their honeymoon. Walther and Trudi had met at their offices at Marsh Inc., a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan where they each worked and where Trudi was a Senior Vice President for Private Client Services. Walther said that he feels blessed for the time that he spent with Trudi while she was alive and will never forget what a beautiful person she was.

“She was as beautiful inside as she was on the outside,” Walther said. “She just had this incredible ability to become absolutely silly at the drop of a dime and at the same time she could put on a beautiful dress and stop traffic. She had a warmth about her and a fierce loyalty to her friends and family.”

Paul Alagero remembered his sister as a woman who had a zest for life. Just a few weeks ago she had taken a week to go to Newport to learn how to sail and also had taken classes in gourmet cooking. More recently, she and her fiancé returned from a vacation in Maine where they spent time fly-fishing. Paul said that these were the happiest times of his sister’s life.

“Any opportunity to do something that she had never tried, she was going to try it,” Paul said. “It was just a great place in her life that she was at right now. She was the happiest that I’ve ever seen her.”

Reprinted from the Saugus Advertiser with the permission of the Community Newspaper Company.

Gertrude Alagero: The Luckiest in the World

She always had time for a friendly chat with the corner newsdealer and the counterman at the deli, and she was sometimes forgetful about paying parking tickets and bills. But Gertrude Alagero, nicknamed Trudi, was also a determined competitor. After she taught her fiancé, Peter B. Walther, to snowboard, she never let him beat her when they raced down Okemo Mountain in Vermont.

Ms. Alagero, a senior vice president at Marsh Private Client Services, a division of Marsh & McLennan, and Mr. Walther, who was her supervisor before they began dating in 1998, had planned to marry in Boston on Jan. 5.

A few days before the terrorist attack, Mr. Walther said, she pressed her fingers to his mouth while they were walking toward the subway from their Upper West Side apartment.

"Shhh," she said, "I need to tell you something: I am the luckiest woman in the world."

On Sept. 7, the day that Ms. Alagero turned 37, she gave Mr. Walther a Nikon camera so he could become adept at using it before their honeymoon in Africa. He snapped two rolls of pictures, mostly of her.

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I think of Trudi and all of our colleagues who we lost on that tragic day - those I did not have the opportunity to know, every morning when I put on my MMC Memorial Pin and were in proudly in their honor.

Trudi was like a shining light. She sparkled and you saw and felt that sparkle the minute she entered the room. She was an asset to Marsh as a whole but also PCS. I always enjoyed seeing Trudi at various meetings and getting to spend time with her. Being a hopeless romantic , I so enjoyed hearing of the way her finance proposed to her. She was so in love and looking forward to her upcoming marriage. I remember the last time I was with Trudi - we were at a PCS meeting and Linda Iverson was standing there with us and she had to go into another meeting and she looked at me and said "Go with Trudi and have a cocktail" which we did and I am so glad I did.

Because she was the colleague I knew the best, I think of her at her last moments and the committment and dedication she displayed. Thinking of her along with all of the others helps me to keep perspective on what is really important in life. I will often say to other colleagues that I am particularly closed to and who are "stressed" and "challenged" over a particular issue - "think of Trudi" while it is not my intent to make them sad, it is to snap them back into reality and show them at least they have the opportunity to make a choice.

Jackie Minch, 7/11/2002 12:24:02 PM

When I think of Trudi, what I remember most is the emotional support she gave me when my wife of 34 years died in 1998. Even at the C@S dinner, she took me aside and we spoke for a short while and wound up crying in each other's arms.

Trudi, we will miss you dearly and perhaps you and my late wife, Terri, will be lucky enough to run into each other in Heaven, where I am sure both of you must now be enjoying yourselves in God' light.

Fondly, Frank Petito

Frank Petito, 5/13/2002 12:18:13 AM

I think of Trudi as a friend even though my only connection with her was through the Company I work for. I first met her in Birmingham, AL where our Corporate Offices are located and later was able to spend a few days with her in New York. Upon meeting Trudi you just felt good. She also made you feel that you were important to her. She seemed to have an inner warmth that reached out and touched you. I don't believe anyone could be sad, angry or anything but happy around Trudi. I was hurt, angry and sad about the 9/11 evil occurrence, but when I learned that it had taken Trudi's life, I sat down and cried. I had lost a friend. It was already very personal, but became even more so when I knew it had not only taken so many lives of so many people, but took someone as sweet, caring and full of life as Trudi. I'm fortunate to have known her even for such a short time.

Maxine Martin, 5/8/2002 3:05:43 PM

Working in Private Client Services, in Morristown, NJ I met Trudi a few times and had spoken on the phone numberous times with her.

We never failed to share in a laugh whether in person or on the phone. She was truly a very nice person and I will miss her.

I am so glad I got the chance to meet Trudi. We lost a special person who enlightened many, many people. Our loss is heaven's gain.

Irene Morrison, 5/1/2002 11:49:27 AM

Trudi and I went on a pitch to two principals of a financial advisory firm. It was the first time that we met and the first time that she met the client. She was so impressive that she beamed.

Needless to say, she walked out with the two accounts, asked for an opportunity of the CFO to reach their investors and also asked him about his own insurance.

That is not what was most impressive about Trudi, however. On the walk back to the office, she shared some of her experiences, gave me (one year at Marsh at the time) some advice, and complemented me on my performance in the meeting (Coming from her it really was a complement).

Trudi was the type of employee we all strive to be. Knowledgeable, professional, honest, trustworthy. If she was half as good a person as she was a broker, this world has suffered a terrible loss for having lost her.

Anne Rappa, 4/4/2002 8:05:18 AM

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