Trilby Witter

Trilby D. Witter, 87, of Merrifield, died Thursday, June 25, 2015 at Good Samaritan Village - Woodland in Brainerd. A Celebration of Life Gathering will be held Wednesday, July 1, 2015 from 5-7 PM at the Brenny Funeral Chapel in Crosslake.

Trilby Dewarda Hawley was born February 16, 1928, in Emily, the daughter of Deward and Louise (Hughes) Hawley. She was raised in Little Pine and graduated from Crosby - Ironton High School in 1946. Trilby worked as a nanny in Minneapolis - St. Paul area as a young girl. She met and married Clarence Hamilton of Crosby in 1947 and they made their home in Crosby. Trilby lived on West Twin Lake and worked at the State Hospital for many years. Later, she married Clark Witter and they moved from West Twin Lake to Bonnie Lake and later to Serpent Lake. Trilby painted with oils and did pastels as well as making dioramas for taxidermists and paintings for a filmmaker. She enjoyed flower gardening and carving. She was also an avid reader.

She will be missed by her children: Roger Hamilton, of Merrifield, Terry (Claudia) Hamilton, of Crystal, John Hamilton, of Merrifield; daughter-in-law: Vickie Peterson of Brainerd; stepchildren: Leon (Cathy) Witter, of Hutchinson, and Mark (Ronnie) Witter, of Dalbo; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; siblings: Maryetta Andrews, of Emily, Faye Traynor, of Tucson, AZ, Lynn (William) Glenn, of Emily, Retha "Billie" Hawley, of Merrifield, Kris (Norman) Olson, of Brainerd, Richard (JoAnne) Hawley, of Little Pine, and Norman "Rusty" (Nan) Hawley, of Little Pine; many, many nieces and nephews, and dozens of cousins and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents: Deward and Louise Hawley; husbands: Clark Witter and Clarence Hamilton; and other family members: Wanda Hawley, Elda Miltz, Irene Libby, Ione Huff, Milton "Bud" Strause, Bertha Hawley; and a granddaughter: Rikki Hamilton.