Obituary
Yolanda (Lonnie) Troll passed away peacefully on May 12th 2020. She was the wife of the late, Joseph Troll and the mother of Diane Snow and the late, Judy Brucks. She has 4 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. She called all the grandkids ‘Honeybunch’ and ‘Baby Doll’, and always knew just how to make them all feel special and loved.
In 2009, Lonnie and Joe moved from their home of 50 years in Hadley, MA, to The Villages, FL, at the ages of 87 and 89, respectively. They enjoyed 6 years there together. Joe passed in 2015 at the age of 95. They were married 72 years.
Lonnie was born in Paterson, NJ, in 1922. She married Joe – her brother’s friend who lived in the neighborhood – in 1943. After the war, they had their first daughter, Diane. A few years later Joe attended The University of Rhode Island. Lonnie worked on campus as a secretary, and they lived in a Quonset hut set up for returning war veterans going to college.
After graduation, the family –now including Judy – moved to Massachusetts. Lonnie became an administrative assistant at UMass, Amherst, where Joe received his Ph.D. and became a Professor. Lonnie supported Joe as he dedicated the next 30 years to the expansion of the University’s Turf Program; her efforts were also acknowledged during the dedication of the ‘Joseph Troll Turf Research Center’ in 2004, when she stood proudly by his side as he accepted this honor.
Lonnie lived life with great passion. Her favorite pastimes were scrapbooking, genealogy, golf, and dancing. In her youth, she would go to Frank Dailey’s Meadowbrook in Cedar Grove, NJ. She danced to Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey, and listened to Frank Sinatra and other great performers.
Lonnie will be interred with her husband Joe at Arlington National Cemetery, in Washington, D.C. Due to COVID-19 there will be no services at this time. Donations in her name can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or to the Joseph Troll Turf Research Center at UMass Amherst.
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