Dr. Alice B. Trayle

Dr. Alice Trayle, Petaluma’s first female optometrist, passed away on October 26th after a brief illness. She was 94. Alice is survived by son and daughter Stirling Trayle and Laura Roberts and grandchildren Veronica Trayle, Shane and Alana Roberts of Petaluma and Kyle Roberts of Reno, NV. She was the widow of Howard C. Trayle and sister of the late Juanita Hurd.  Alice was one of two children of Latvian immigrants William and Amelia Berg.

Alice was born in 1923 in Portland Oregon. Her earliest years were spent living and moving around the mountain communities of Oregon and Northern California while her father worked as a foreman for PG&E. Her family settled in the Sacramento area, where she grew up in Rocklin, Rio Linda, and Roseville before graduating from Sacramento High School. During World War II she contributed to the war effort as a night time spotter in downtown Sacramento, collecting information on possible enemy planes for the Signal Corps.

Alice’s Latvian mother was adamant that her two daughters were to have a college education (preferably in math and science) and at age 21, Alice was one of the first few women to graduate from the University of California Berkeley School of Optometry, class of 1944. She was a member and president of the Berkeley chapter of the national women’s fraternity Theta Upsilon. In 2013, she attended the 70th reunion of her graduating class at U.C. Berkeley.  Her sister Juanita graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a B.S. in Bacteriology in 1945.

Once passing her state board exams, Alice worked for Progressive Optical and the Green’s Eye Hospital in San Francisco before starting her own practice Petaluma in 1963. Alice long supported professional women in the workforce and sold her practice in 1989 to Dr. Karen Griffith (also a Berkeley grad), who is still practicing in our community.

Alice married Howard Trayle in 1947 and they were married for 35 years before his death in 1983. They lived in Mill Valley and the Sleepy Hollow area of San Anselmo before moving to Petaluma in 1964 to be closer to Alice’s practice. Alice and Howard loved jazz, especially big band music and were fortunate enough to see and hear all the greats of the day. They also followed auto racing and participated in local rallies in their Triumph TR3. In her retirement, Alice loved to travel, visiting much of the United States, Mexico, Canada, China, Southeast Asia, Russia, and many European countries including her ancestral home of Latvia,

Alice fervently believed in community service and during the years of her optometric practice she was a member of the Soroptimist organization.  After retirement, she increased her community service work. She was an active senior service ombudsman and served on the executive board of the Petaluma based Senior Advocacy Services. For many years, she chaired the Mother’s Day Flowers Event, which ensured that elderly women in nursing homes received a bouquet of flowers. Very close to her heart was her 25+ years of help with Petaluma Coordinating Council’s Christmas Cheer program, an annual event that provides bags of groceries and new toys to those in need during the holiday season. Alice chaired and co-chaired the program for many years.

Alice was a devoted mother and grandmother and loved being with her family, and her family loved being with her.

At 3:00 PM, November 1st. 2017, a memorial service for Alice will be held at United Church of Christ, 825 Middlefield Drive, Petaluma, CA.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Petaluma Coordinating Council, Christmas Cheer Program, P.O. Box 4741, Petaluma, CA 94955, or the charity of your choice.