Fredric H. Troll, 1923-1992

Fred Troll was born in Mansfield, Ohio, February 9, 1923, son of Fredric H. and Ruth Brown Troll. In 1941, after finishing high school, he went to radio/TV technical schools in Valparaiso and Angola, Indiana. Fred held a first-class engineers license until 1986.

While working in radio/TV in Macon and Albany, Georgia, he went to Norman Park College. In 1960, he transferred to the University of Richmond and also worked at the old WXEX TV/radio station in Petersburg. He received his B.A. degree in Bible and Religion in 1962. During his time at the University of Richmond, he was instrumental in founding the university radio station.

In March of 1962, Fred married Virginia T. Cox. Theirs was a happy union. They complemented one another, but most of all, Fred and Virginia loved one another.

Fred entered the ministry in September of 1963 and attended Duke Divinity School. Because of a conference appointment, he moved and received his M.Div. at Southeastern Seminary at Wake Forest, on May 12, 1979. It took Fred 17 years of hard work to achieve his ultimate goal, of which he was very proud.

Fred began his ministerial career at Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church in Danville, Virginia. He went on to serve Ridgeway, Calvary-Olive Branch, Prospect. Oakland in Danville, Asbury Memorial in Danville, McCanless Memorial, Hurt-Motley, Willis and West Buckingham. His services were simple, yet profound. He was a simple man, but more than this, he was my friend. And, this friendship continued until his death on April 20, 1992.

On September 27, 1983, Fred had a stroke and, in January 1984, he took disability leave. In June of 1989, he officially retired. He was living at Hyde Park Farm at the time of his death.

I would like to close this memoir by using a quote from John Donne:

“All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated; God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice; but God's hand is in every translation; and His hand shall bind up all our scattered leaves again, for that library where every book shall lie open to one another. “

Good-bye, old friend, I have and will continue to miss you. But we shall meet again, you and I.

 

-Roy Oren Creech, Jr.