The daughter of Swiss immigrants Fritz and Mathilda Bamert Messmer, Trudy was born June 13, 1936 in Monroe. On January 29, 1956, she married Swiss native Gottlieb Brändli at St. Victor Catholic Church in Monroe. Her life's work included being a homemaker and outstanding cook, wife, mother of two daughers and two sons, and grandmother to five. She also maintained the books and records for the family's business, Swiss Cabinetry, and was a devoted member of St. Victor Catholic Church in Monroe.

With a penchant for detail and organization, Trudy served as the Monroe Swiss Singers' secretary for more years than most of us can remember, right up until the time of her passing. She unassumingly took care of literally every little detail, many of which, in her absence, we are still realizing.

Trudy was very proud of her Swiss lineage and spoke Swiss-German fluently. She was equally fluent at Jass, which she enjoyed playing regularly at Turner Hall following our Monroe Swiss Singers rehearsals. In 1982, Trudy and her husband were chosen to serve as King and Queen of Green County Cheese Days. As an off-shoot of her meticulous record-keeping, Trudy put together a large map of Switzerland which pointed out, in her typically organized and detailed fashion, where each and every member of the Monroe Swiss Singers had his/her roots. This map is displayed at our Swiss Folk Fairs during the biennial Green County Cheese Days.

The Monroe Swiss Singers' 33rd Annual Swiss Fest was dedicated to her memory, including a tribute to this dedicated member of our Monroe Swiss Singers family.