Gertrude was born on May 16, 1926, in Milwaukee, WI to Otto Schloer and Martha (Gellner) Schloer.  She was preceded in death by both her parents, her younger brother Karl Schloer, and three infant siblings. She is survived by a niece, Margaret Lester of Crandon, Wisconsin.

Gertrude graduated from high school, and attended Marquette University, where she received her bachelor's and master's degrees in Microbiology. She went on to receive her PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, at a time when there were few women in science.

Following a 2-year, National Institutes of Health post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Giessen in Germany, Gertrude returned to Milwaukee and worked as a microbiologist in the Milwaukee Health Department.  She eventually moved to New York City, taking an Assistant Professorship at Mt. Sinai Hospital. After some years at Mt. Sinai, Gertrude moved to Cutchogue in eastern Long Island, to accept a position at the US Government research laboratory at Plum Island, where she worked until her retirement.

Retirement for Gertrude meant a new career in financial planning.  She earned a Certified Financial Planning degree from Adelphi University in New York, and a certificate as a Chartered Life Underwriter from American College in 1997.  She worked first as an agent for John Hancock Insurance and later as an agent for Granite Securities.

In Cutchogue, she served on the Board of the Chamber of Commerce from 1989 to 2005.  Her love for gardening and for the Arts was apparent in the abundant flowers and fruits she cultivated, and in her efforts to secure a grant to beautify Cutchogue with new lamp posts, sidewalks, and trees.

She believed passionately in the importance of women's higher education and wanted to be an example of a woman of faith in science, and a mentor to others. When she moved to Princeton, New Jersey in 2010, she audited classes at Princeton University to be around young people, whom she invited to her home for Sunday brunch, and for the Thanksgiving holiday for those who could not be with their families. Her professional work was for her an opportunity to serve others.

Visitation will be Monday, June 21, 2021,from 5:00pm – 7:00pm at Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Ave., Princeton, NJ 08542.

Funeral Mass will be celebrated Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 10:00am at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, 216 Nassau St., Princeton, NJ 08542 followed by interment in Princeton Cemetery, 29 Greenview Ave., Princeton, NJ 08540.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Wiggins House, 34 Wiggins St., Princeton, NJ 08540.