Thelma Leone Trimble
Thelma Leone Trimble
Boulder, Colorado
“She walks in beauty, like the night / Of cloudless climes and starry skies; / …. A mind at peace with all below, / A heart whose love is innocent!” (Byron). Thelma Leone Trimble, age 95, died peacefully on Monday, July 8, in Lafayette, Colorado, surrounded by family. She personified grace and kindness, always looking for the good in others and seeking beauty in the world. We basked in her creativity, musicianship, intelligence and humor, but mostly in her warmth and love. She was a modest and private person, and many of her acquaintances may be surprised to learn of her accomplishments.
Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, November 28, 1928, Thelma excelled as a musician, scholar and artist. At the age of four she was already singing and making up songs on the piano and, according to her mother, exclaimed “listen Mommy, that music sounds just like the ruffles on my dress!”. In her youth, Thelma focused on singing (in the church choir) and playing the piano. Also in high school, as a largely self-taught cellist, she toured Eastern Iowa playing chamber music and played in the Cedar Rapids Symphony. She had a brilliant and logical mind and was an accomplished debater, graduating as valedictorian. Thelma loved to paint and created a mural of the legends of King Arthur that survived at Roosevelt High School for five decades. She was encouraged to pursue art at the Art Institute of Chicago but chose music, attending the University of Rochester and studying at the Eastman School of Music, earning her bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude with induction into Phi Beta Kappa. She received a master’s degree in music from Eastman, with emphasis on piano performance and literature, while also serving as an accompanist and vocal coach.
After graduate school, Thelma concentrated on raising a family and supporting the conducting career of her husband, Donald Johanos, in Altoona, Dallas, Pittsburgh and Honolulu. An extraordinary homemaker, she applied her fine aesthetic sense and skill to create nurturing, rich environments for her family, cooking fabulous meals, creating beautiful gardens, sewing clothing (and costumes) and making every holiday sparkle, all the while continuing to create beautiful music and art. Her children and grandchildren fondly recall lying beneath the piano as she practiced Beethoven, Schubert and Chopin. Thelma sang and performed with orchestral choirs in Dallas, Pittsburgh, Honolulu, Philadelphia and Denver. She was an insatiable reader and student, immersing herself in literature, history and new cultures, serving as docent at the Bishop Museum and Iolani Palace in Honolulu and at the Denver Art Museum. She moved to Colorado in 1989 where she lived her last 35 years and enjoyed hiking and spending time in nature with loved ones. Thelma continued to play the piano and create art well into her late 80s. She participated in book clubs and water aerobics at the Louisville Recreation Center and was a devoted fan of the Faculty Tuesday concerts at the University of Colorado School of Music.
Thelma is survived by children Jennifer (DJ McDonald), Thea (Alan Kam), Andrew (Maria Poczobutt-Johanos), and Eva Johanos, and five grandchildren, C.H.H. Kam and Katie Metzdorff, Julia and Regina Johanos, and Gabriel Montagne, and is also survived by two brothers, Bruce and Ralph (Carolyn), and sister-in-law Janet Trimble. She was preceded in death by son Gregory, brother Ocie, and parents, Ocie and Thelma Trimble.
Thelma wrote “I will always love my family, above all. I believe the greatest qualities and values in our life are kindness, compassion, respect, love, beauty, loyalty, honesty, fairness and the quest for knowledge.” She lived her beliefs and touched many lives; we will always love and miss her greatly.
A celebration of life will be held at a future date. Donations in Thelma’s memory may be made to The Nature Conservancy, The Southern Poverty Law Center or the CU Faculty Tuesdays concert series (CU Boulder).