As 2002 faded, Gilroy lost an amazing force for justice and
compassion
– Florence Trimble, who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 92.
As 2002 faded, Gilroy lost an amazing force for justice and compassion – Florence Trimble, who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 92.
She was not a lifelong Gilroyan – she moved here in 1970 with her minister husband – but she had enough impact on the community for several lifetimes.
Her obituary contained a long list of causes she supported during her life – charities concerned with health issues; social problems and the environment; public television stations and institutions of higher learning – but she was best-known in Gilroy as a tireless advocate for the homeless.
As Florence said in a December 2002 profile that ran in The Dispatch, “The thing people truly can’t seem to get through their heads is that the homeless are not a separate, distinct part of the population. They’re our friends and neighbors. They could very well be our relatives. It could happen in any family.”
In the mid-1980s, when Florence was in her 70s, she helped at the homeless shelter at the National Guard Armory in Gilroy. She retired from volunteering at the shelter after nearly 15 years of service.
Florence’s vision for helping others wasn’t limited to her immediate neighborhood. She and her family opened their homes to refugees from around the globe, and she was instrumental in convincing others to do the same.
Florence learned from her parents’ example the importance of sharing one’s blessings – no matter how few – with those in need. She soaked up the lesson her father articulated – “Of course we’re not poor, Florence. Poor people are the ones that don’t have anything to share with other people. You know your mother gives out clothes, and she gives out food to people. We’re not poor, we’re rich. We’ve got extra.” – and lived that precept.
President George H.W. Bush named Florence one of his thousand points of light. She deserved the honor, but the former president understated Florence’s impact. Here in Gilroy, and across the planet, she was a beacon.
Our community was blessed to be graced with Florence’s presence for three decades. Her passing leaves a void, certainly, but also a legacy of leadership that hopefully many will remember – a shining example of the power of living one’s ideals, of being resolute with compassion and of the wisdom that comes only from living a good life.
Rest in peace, Florence. May your actions and words help guide our futures.
