Gertrude Castille

Gertrude “Trudi” Miller Castille, 83, died Wednesday, November 8, 2017 in her residence following a lengthy illness, with her loving family at her side.

Born to Alexander and Eva Lavergne Miller in Lawtell, Louisiana, Mrs. Castille moved to Lake Charles in 1966. Along with her husband, she owned and operated A-OK Motor Parts for 22 years. She was a faithful member of Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church. After Red Skeleton’s skit about “Gertrude the Seagull”, she preferred to be called Trudi. Her family swears that Trudi was the best cook in the world. Her rice dressing and beef roast were internationally renowned. One of Trudi’s favorite pastimes was playing cards, like Skip-bo and Cadillac. Trudi enjoyed and loved her friends with whom she laughed and played pranks, especially on April Fool’s Day. Trudi was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother who used her cooking and her love to hold her family together through good times and bad. Trudi was considered a true Southern Lady by all those she encountered, always displaying poise and manners. Her faith and her love of God were the backbone of her personality and her family.

Those left to cherish her memory are her children, Ron Castille and wife Debbie, Tim Castille, Jennifer Toups, Mark Castille and wife Joanna, all of Lake Charles, and Chris Castille and wife Charlene of Lilburne, Georgia; one sister, Helen Hidalgo of Opelousas; 10 grandchildren; and 8 great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her beloved husband of 63 years, Ernest Joseph Castille, and one sister, Esther Miller Lewis.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, November 11, 2017, at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church. Msgr. Harry Grieg and Father Reuben Villerreal will officiate. Entombment will be at Consolata Cemetery under the direction of Johnson Funeral Home. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Friday, November 10, 2017 from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM, with a rosary to be recited at 6:00 PM.

Memorial donations may be made, in lieu of flowers, to the Local Heart Foundation: C/O Laura Novak, 1 Lakeshore Dr., Suite 1180, Lake Charles, LA, 70629.

The family would like to express their grateful appreciation for the compassionate care given their beloved mother to the doctors and staff of Christus St. Patrick Hospice and to Peggy Kelly as well as Mary Lynn Miller, her caregivers who became dear friends.