MARGARET “CAROLYN” FOY TRELA April 7, 1936 – Aug. 7, 2025
Margaret “Carolyn” Trela (nee Foy) was born April 7, 1936, at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, CA, to Zed Lee Foy and Amabel Neeley Foy. Legend has it that she was born the night before her father’s oral exams at Stanford Graduate School of Education. Carolyn grew up in Boise, Idaho with her parents and older sister, Ginger, and where her father was superintendent of schools. She spent many an adventurous summer with cousins at her mother’s family farm in Columbia, SC.
In 1953, during Carolyn’s junior year at Boise High School, her father accepted an overseas post with The U.S. Department of Education and the family moved to Israel. Carolyn finished high school at the Tabeetha School in Jaffa and had many fond memories of times with Israeli, Palestinian and ex-pat classmates. She attended Pierce College in Athens, Greece and completed her studies at Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia.
Carolyn went on to Stanford University where she received a master’s degree in Speech and Language Pathology. There she met Walter Trela, a physics PhD student, who would be her loyal and loving husband for 63 years. While at Stanford, Carolyn and Walter had two daughters, Martha Jennifer Trela and Anne Marie Trela. The family eventually settled in Los Alamos, NM. Carolyn cherished working with children as a speech therapist for the Los Alamos School District and made many deep and lasting friendships with colleagues. After retirement, Carolyn and Walter moved to Santa Fe where they enjoyed 13 wonderful years, with annual trips to Maui, HI and Kiawah Island, SC, before moving to Saratoga Retirement Community in CA to be near their daughters.
At age 72, Carolyn was diagnosed with stage-4 melanoma and thanks to experimental treatments, her fighting spirit and Walter’s devotion, she prevailed and lived cancer-free for another 17 years. She died peacefully in her sleep on August 7, 2025 from congestive heart failure at the age of 89.
Carolyn had a mischievous sense of humor combined with elegance and grace. She was a loving wife and mother and made friends wherever she went, bringing laughter to the room and smiles to people’s faces. She is survived by her husband, Walter Trela of Saratoga, CA, daughters Martha Trela (Andy Blasband) of San Carlos, CA, Anne Trela of Palo Alto, CA and grandchildren Madeline Trela Berger, Evan Blasband, Bryan Blasband and Oliver Blasband. The family thanks the staff at Saratoga Retirement Community and caregivers Zandra Cruz and Blanca Murillo and her daughter Julia who loved and cared for Carolyn.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift in memory of Carolyn to Assistance Dogs of the West or the Santa Fe Desert Chorale.