Gertrude Elizabeth (Sedlmair) Amicangioli

Gertrude Elizabeth (Sedlmair) Amicangioli

December 30, 1937 – May 20, 2026

With profound sadness, we announce the passing of our beloved mother, grandmother, and friend, Gertrude Elizabeth (Sedlmair) Amicangioli of Newton, MA who passed away peacefully on May 20, 2026 at the age of 88.

Born in Munich, Germany on December 30, 1937, Gertrude immigrated to the United States at just 18 years old after falling in love with the man who would become her husband, Frederick William Amicangioli Jr. Together they built a life in America rooted in resilience, hard work, and family. Arriving in post-war America, she navigated the challenges of being a young German immigrant with remarkable determination and quiet courage, embracing her adopted country while never losing the strength and discipline that defined her upbringing.

To describe Gertrude as a strong woman would be an understatement. She possessed extraordinary resilience, intelligence, and resolve long before such qualities in women were openly celebrated. Formidable in spirit yet deeply devoted to those she loved, she took enormous pride in the lives and achievements of her children and grandchildren, always believing fiercely in the importance of education, independence, and perseverance.

Education was enormously important to Gertrude, both personally and for her family. She was a proud graduate of Bentley College for accounting and carried that same belief in hard work and self-sufficiency throughout her life. Beyond her family, she was deeply involved in her local community and served as the long-standing member and president of the Newton Garden Club, where she combined her love of nature, beauty, and community with the leadership and dedication for which she was so well known.

While not always outwardly emotional, her love was expressed through action, loyalty, and unwavering support. She believed deeply that her children should stand on their own feet and worked tirelessly to help create opportunities for them, often sacrificing quietly behind the scenes to do so.

Family was at the center of her world. She will be remembered for her strength, sharp wit, resilience, elegance, and enduring sense of duty to those she loved. Her life was one of courage, reinvention, and contribution, and the values she instilled: resilience, independence, loyalty, and determination, live on in the generations she helped shape.

Gertrude, or Trudy as she was affectionately known, was preceded in death by her husband, Fred, and her brother, Michael Sedlmair.

She leaves behind her much-loved brother, Josef Sedlmair of Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany; her daughters, Donna Ann of Newton, and Linda Genevieve Land of London, England; her sons, Frederick Michael of Peters Creek, Alaska, and David William of Belmont, and his wife, Elyse.

She also leaves behind four cherished grandchildren: Ashley Michelle of Weymouth; Kristen Marie Carroll and her husband, Andrew, of Weymouth; Shannen Joy Selter and her husband, Sean, of Taunton; and David William Jr. of Dorchester.

A wake will be held on Thursday, May 28, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Eaton & Mackay Funeral Home. A funeral Mass will take place on Friday, May 29, at 10:30 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church.

She will be deeply missed and forever remembered. May she rest in peace.

In honor of Trudy's values of fostering community and promoting education and independence, her family invites donations be made in her memory to Elliot House: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/elliotclubhouse/

Trudy's daughter, Donna, has been a long-time patron of Elliot House. For more information, please visit their website: elliothouse.org 

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