Greenfield, MA – Trudy Elizabeth Stone, of Chelsea MA, passed away on July 18, 2026, at age 76, following a long illness.
Trudy was a talented, complex, and beautiful person who touched people’s lives in so many different ways. She was at once child-like, cosmopolitan, bohemian; she had an ethereal presence, almost a sixth sense about her. She was known by her family and friends for her kindness, generosity, and deep sensitivity to others, and for her innate ability to entertain, both socially and as a performer. She had a unique sense of humor, including witty turns-of-phrase that were coined by her family: “Trudisms.”
Trudy was born in Greenfield, MA, on May 31, 1950, the youngest daughter of Dr. Knowlton Stone and Phyllis Marble Stone. Coming from a musical family, as a child, Trudy studied violin, voice, and dance, and was a guitarist singer/songwriter during her teens. She was a published poet as an adult. Her poetry and songs were the most revealing of her true nature; not only the words, but the choice of unusual harmonic structures in her songs, that were so intriguing.
After graduating from Greenfield High School in 1968, she attended Colby Junior College, then moved to Boston to live with her sister, Gretchen Stone. In Boston, she studied alto saxophone at Berklee College of Music with the legendary Joe Viola, who was always very impressed with Trudy’s talent.
She graduated from UMASS Boston, with a master’s degree in ESL, having always had a high aptitude for languages. She taught ESL for several years, then moved on to teaching English and ESL at Northeastern University for over twenty years. Her students loved her; she always gave thoughtful, individualized attention to every student. One of her student’s comments read “Trudy for president!.”
While teaching at Northeastern, she moonlighted as a server at Redbones in Somerville where she would mingle seamlessly with many treasured co-workers and customers.
She continued her musical pursuit in a piano/vocal jazz duo called “Stone Sisters” with her pianist sister Gretchen. They performed in numerous clubs, cafes, private parties, and cabarets around Boston and beyond. Trudy was especially good at learning and tapping into every nuance of jazz solos, notably, Betty Roche’s version of Duke Ellington’s “Take the A Train,” and Jon Hendricks’ solo on Thelonius Monk’s “In Walked Bud.” For many years, she was a favorite performer in “Personae,” a cabaret show led by close friend and emcee Jim Paul, who always spoke of her ability to capture characters that he chose specifically for her. “To witness Trudy on stage was to be swept into a whimsical, deeply felt world of her own creation, and at times, bizarrely beautiful.”
In these shows, she exhibited another side of her creativity in her instinctive fashion sense in creating the perfect costumes for her characters. Trudy also performed at several family events, both as a duo with Gretchen as well as with her other sisters.
She was a magician’s assistant for a summer at Lake George, and a member of Boston Mime Theatre for several years. She danced in a Boston Opera Company production of “Turandot” under director Sarah Caldwell. Her dance and movement studies included ballet and modern dance, tap, flamenco, and tango, as well as yoga, kung flu, tai chi and Brazilian capoeira.
Trudy and Gretchen traveled together to Europe and Brazil, and took many trips to New York City. She particularly enjoyed family gatherings in Rhode Island, Cape Cod, Prince Edward Island and California.
Besides leaving behind so many friends, and students who expressed in notes and emails of her kindness and devotion, Trudy is survived by her sisters, Billie Narver of Albany, CA, Phyllis Stone (Mark Blatchley) of Erving, MA, Gretchen Stone of Chelsea, MA; nieces and nephews Clint Narver (Heather Lyons) of Bethesda, MD, Nicole Almaguer (David) of Albany, CA, Raub Roy, and Rachel Roy (David Rees), brother-in-law Rick Roy (Kay Lyons), all of Greenfield, MA, as well as grand nieces and nephews, Diego and Mateo Almaguer, and Dahlia and Charlize Narver. She was predeceased by her parents, Phyllis Marble Stone and Dr. Knowlton Stone, her eldest sister Robin Stone, and her brother Larry Stone.
A kind friend sent this beautiful quote: “This world will not be the same without Trudy’s spirit, her song.
A Celebration of Life is being planned and will be announced later. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to a local animal shelter, as a tribute to Trudy’s love of her cats. Trudy’s funeral arrangements entrusted to the care of the McCarthy Funeral Homes of Greenfield and Turners Falls, MA. Remembrances may be directed to Trudy’s Tribute Wall @ www.mccarthyfuneralhomes.com.
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