Margaret “Maggie” Barrett

06/21/1945 – 12/22/2023 

On the morning of Dec. 22, 2023, Margaret Ellen Barrett went home to be with God. She passed away as she had hoped and prayed for: very peacefully, at home, and surrounded by her family and dear friends.

Maggie was born to Martin and Mary Kathryn Barrett, on June 21, 1945, in Richland, Washington. The family had relocated there on assignment during World War II. After the war ended, the family moved to Yucaipa, California, before settling in Redlands. Maggie was the second of four children, surviving her siblings, Barbara, Patrick and William (“Billy”). 

She attended Sacred Heart and Redlands High School, class of ‘63. She proudly attended her family alma mater, The Ohio State University, before returning to California and graduating from University of California, Riverside.

Maggie married Keith Trost, also a Redlands native. They had two children, Matthew and Marcia, as they moved northward, eventually settling in beautiful Carpinteria, California.

From a young age, Maggie was very active. An early love was participating in the YMCA circus. She enjoyed the outdoors and was an avid day hiker, climbing most mountains in Southern California. Yosemite was one of her favorite places to visit and explore. She also enjoyed river rafting and rafted many rivers in the western U.S., with her rafting partner and granddaughter Kelsey. She participated in multi-day cancer walks before contracting and surviving breast cancer herself.

She was employed in a variety of jobs throughout her life. Director of Human Resources was her loftiest title, though substitute teaching was perhaps her most rewarding. Her ability to connect with people, especially children, was truly amazing!

After retirement, she made her way back down to Redlands. She was involved in bible study, enjoyed lunches with her girlfriends and her various pets, and volunteering weekly at Redlands Community Hospital as an “at risk” newborn baby holder/comforter. Her time holding these newborns was very meaningful to her.

What Maggie cherished most was being a mother and a grandmother. To her grandchildren, she was known as Mimi, a title we can thank her granddaughter, Cate, for bestowing upon her. Mimi attended her grandchildren’s sporting events, she enjoyed assisting with school projects, teaching them to read and reading with them, and taking them on many, many adventures. 

One frequent and favorite was walking with Will, Cate and Drew to Kay ‘N Dave’s restaurant for their favorite Mexican food. She never missed visiting her grandson Connor for Grandparents Day at school, and she was the perfect companion to Drew as his older siblings were off to college. Everyone loved to receive letters from her, written in her beautiful cursive. Her cinnamon toast was legendary.

Maggie was passionate about community involvement, volunteer work and maintaining her lifelong friendships. Her relationship with God was very strong and lifelong. She credits God with saving her from breast cancer after modern medicine was out of options, and she traveled to Jerusalem to give her thanks in person.

Some of her other loves included gardening, reading, sewing, movies and staying current with local, national and global events. She enjoyed writing letters, which would often include news clippings or pictures.

Maggie is survived by her son, Matthew Trost (Meaghen), daughter Marcia Rozelle (Kacy), and grandchildren Kelsey Trost Pauley (Jackson), William Rozelle, Catherine Rozelle, Connor Trost and Andrew Rozelle. She was preceded in death by her dearest companion and dog, Abby.

A small gathering of Maggie’s family and close friends will celebrate her life in April.