Troy Truman Wolff

Troy Truman Wolff
(January 18, 1967 – September 14, 2013)

Troy Truman Wolff, age 46, passed away on September 14, 2013 in Seattle, Washington.  He was born on January 18, 1967 to Donald and Pamela Wolff.

Troy grew up in Pocatello, Idaho and Sandy, Utah.  He graduated from Hillcrest High School in Midvale, Utah in 1985.  After high school he attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, graduating with Honors with a Master’s Degree in English in 1991.   He was active in leadership roles at Baylor with the Student Foundation, Baptist Student Union, and Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society.  In the summer of 1986, Troy began a meaningful association with Camp Ozark, a Christian summer camp in Arkansas.  Troy served as a counselor and recruiter for 10 years challenging, inspiring and encouraging hundreds of campers and staff, an impact that resonates to this day.  The number of campers and fellow counselors whose lives, spiritual and otherwise, were changed for the better due to Troy’s influence is countless.  While working for Camp Ozark, Troy also led wilderness trips in the Collegiate Peaks area of Colorado, the Cayman Islands, and Puget Sound, Washington. 

Troy was a professor of English and Chair of the English Department at Shoreline Community College, where he had been a beloved professor since 1996.  His classes were some of the first to be filled and often had waiting lists. Two of his ambitions in life were teaching and travel; he taught study abroad courses in Costa Rica, Spain, Greece, and Turkey.  Troy was an avid reader and shared his literary knowledge with friends and family.  As a writer he was a regular contributor to Spindrift Art and Literary Journal and the children’s educational Website Reading A-Z. Troy was the author of Seattle & King County, an economic development book about the city of Seattle.  A family favorite is Winston Catfish, written in love for his twin nieces, Kaitlyn and Karissa.

Troy was authentic.  He had lasting friendships from all walks of life.  He made friends instantly and could resume a long-distance friendship upon reuniting as if they had just had coffee the day before.  His sincerity and humor drew others to him and he was a true friend to all who knew and loved him.

Troy loved the city of Seattle and the people he met here over the years. He would often visit his close friends who work at restaurants in the city, just to check in and say hello. He knew the value of a good meal, a good drink, and most of all, a good story. He was an avid Seattle Sounders soccer and Seattle Mariners baseball enthusiast.  Troy also embraced Seattle’s proximity to the mountains, where he enjoyed hiking, camping, and skiing. He had an appreciation for nature and the outdoors, and spent time fly fishing in Idaho and Oregon. Troy enjoyed running around Seattle for fun, and he also ran competitively, completing the San Francisco full marathon a few years ago and most recently the Vancouver half marathon in 2012.

Troy is survived by Donald and Pamela Wolff of Roseburg, Oregon; his brother Tony (Roberta) of Sandy, Utah; nephew Kristopher; three nieces, Kaitlyn and Kellie; and Karissa (Jacob) Eyre, and great-niece Paisley. He is also survived by uncles, aunts, and cousins of Idaho, Nevada, and Colorado.   Troy is also survived by his lovely girlfriend, Kristin Ito.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers tax deductible donations be make to the Troy Wolff Memorial Humanities Scholarship Fund (www.shoreline.edu/foundation 206-533-6783).