Maria Trinidad Torres Lear (Trini)
September 18, 1955 – August 2, 2023
You may have been greeted at the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center by Trini’s welcoming smile, irrepressible even behind her COVID-19 mask. Or, you may have seen her wave on one of her many walks in Birch Bay Village. Her smile came from an indomitable strength from within. A strength that expressed an unreconcilable love and respect for everyone she met. And, she loved the sea. Not once did she come down the hill and get on Birch Bay Drive without exclaiming, “It is so beautiful.” Trini was living a storybook romance here in the United States after meeting her husband Gerald Allen Stege (Jerry) in her home town of Zaragoza, Spain. After their four year romance of letters and visits, and much to the relief of her husband, she moved to Spokane in 1996 and married. In 2005 with a BA in Business and Tourism from Spain, an AAS Network Engineer Degree from Spokane Community College, and her A+ Professional Certification they moved to Birch Bay Village.
Trini dearly loved her years as a volunteer and then an employee at the Birch Bay Visitor Center. She left the Chamber two years ago when her Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma became unmanageable. Her indomitable strength absolutely surprised everyone but as she she put it recently, “The cancer is winning.”
Trini’s favorite charities for many years have been UNICEF and the World Food Program. Catholic services will be held early next month in Zaragoza, Spain with her husband, family, and childhood friends at her side.
