We still have the biggest laughs about how the first time we could get a picture of Emerald upset was when you left her on top of the refrigerator when she was 4 years old; always the prankster, I miss you baby brother!

Today I spent the day cuddled up with your namesake thanks to TT and Tamara.  Troy Frederick Taylor was born on February 13, 2022.  I met him today and we spent time telling him telling him stories about you, your laughter and how lucky we were to have had the time we had with you.  I miss you brother and  look forward to telling him more…I will love you forever!!!!

Troy!

Man, I’ll never forget the time that I kept playing that stupid YMCA song on New Years one day, and you just kept letting me play it.

I will never forget your kindness or your laughter. 

You’re family, big guy. 

We love you and we’ll see you later down the road. 

Troy was a special person, a little boy in a big boy’s body. Troy loved many things: family, friends and food to name a few.                                                               
I can honestly say our lives are so much richer for Troy being in them. We can’t accept he is gone due to we don’t want to let him go.
This past week the words of a familiar song have been going around and around in my head "time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping into the future"* this is how I think of the gap from when Troy was a daily part of our family to when I heard the news of his passing. The days turned into weeks, weeks into months, then years and then many years had just passed and slipped by. For this, I am very sorry.
“I want to fly like an eagle
To the sea
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle
'Til I'm free”*
You are free now my friend, my son. Thank you for the memories and for loving us.
Your other mom, 
Annette

*Song Lyrics from “Fly like an Eagle” by The Steve Miller Band


Troy loved to pick and make fun. Once in a while we picked back. Troy loved his cats. They were his family. Erin and I would always tease him saying “here kitty, kitty”. 
He was very opinionated and most days didn't hold back on it. Many times he could be over zealous in his opinion of a matter. Once when my husband, “Pop” was working on Emily’s car (my husband has been a car mechanic all of his adult life) Troy kept telling him how to do this and how to do that to fix the car. My husband got so frustrated that he threw a hammer across the yard. He would later say- better than throwing it at him.
Troy was very excited and happy when he had a house warming get together at his new house. He was so very, very happy that his family came to share that day with him. 


My sons and their friends loved to go to NewTown to drag race the dirt bikes and 4 wheelers. Troy would tag along for support. He loved watching others enjoy their life and he loved being a part of the gang. On one particular trip to Newtown, I had packed a lot of snack foods and drinks (I loved to feed the gang) I was sitting on a chair on the trailer and Troy was standing beside me. We had been there for a few hours. I kept wanting to eat and I was munching on some snacks and I turned to Troy who was also snacking and I said “I don’t know what is wrong with me, I’m feeling woozy and I keep wanting to snack”, Troy said “me too”. He then turned to see the 2 men in the truck next to us were smoking some wacky weed and the smoke was a white cloud in the cab but some was leaking out and drifting over to the two of us. He turned to me and said something like “this is the craziest buzz I never had” hahahaha- we laughed so hard and we always joked about that experience. He loved to laugh and to cut up. Troy’s laugh was very robust and contagious. You could not help but love it.

Troy was always there if you needed him. All you had to do is call him and he would be right there. Sometimes just showing up when you needed help with some project. I remember him helping me dig holes for some poles and he worked those post hole diggers with all his might. I cannot tell you how many times he helped us out with car related matters. One particular time Emily and I had shopped at Garden Ridge and bought 3 – 6 ft decorative trees – me being female, I didn’t give much thought to the fact that I was driving a car. We finally got those trees loaded with one hanging out of the trunk and one hanging out each side of the back windows. We headed down Airport Drive to realize not only was my trees getting damaged but I was probably a traffic hazard. We ended up pulling over and the only person I could think of with a truck who would be off from work was Troy. So, I called Troy, he said he was headed that way and would stop by. A little while later here comes Troy with the Flatbed tow truck, he was on the way back to the office from doing a tow across town. I told him my dilemma, he was like no worries, he put those trees on the back of the flat bed and I followed him down the road. It was hilarious. I can not tell you how many times Troy helped me and my family. He was always there.

I remember one Friday night Eric, Emily and I went to Lake Gaston to stay the night. We talked to Troy on the phone all the way down there. We told him to come on down. The next morning here comes Troy to share the day on the lake with us. When it was time to go, Eric had to be at work at Horizon to do his job which included loading the beer cooler. Troy drove Eric back to Richmond (I’m sure he broke the speed limit that day) to get Eric to work on time. He then stayed to help Eric load the cooler.

During one of the worst hurricanes to hit Virginia Troy, Richard Lee and others stayed up all night playing Monopoly by lantern and candle light. They had to weigh down their money due to the back door was open and the wind was so strong it was blowing the curtains all the way up to the ceiling. I remember watching those fools laugh and fight over properties and hold down cards and money. No power, no lights but there was plenty of wheeling and dealing at our house that night.
Troy and everyone enjoyed a fun game of pool. Troy was in his element. He was a good player and thrived on the strategy of the game. Troy loved the competition of the game. It was the best of times to have all the gang including Troy, Jeremy, Erin, Brandy, Eric, Richard Lee, Pop and others play the game.
Thanks to Erin and Jeremy bringing a volley ball net to our house we spent many summers playing volley ball in the pool. Troy truly loved it. He was not light on his feet BUT he was the tallest of us all and he got GREAT pleasure out of spiking that ball and then putting his face in the net and saying “Take That”!!!  He loved playing volley ball in the pool. He was so energic and entertaining—and did I mention COMPETITIVE!!!!


Troy was a son to me. He always respected me and my family. Troy was our friend and a part of our family for many years. His association in our lives reminds me of the proverb of March "in like a lion and out like a lamb". It seems like once he entered our lives he was rooted in our family. Always with us and then a day came when he was gone and we missed him.
Troy was a big man. He was big in statue and his heart was big. When he cared about you, he cared deeply. Troy had big feet and he could never be accused of sneaking up on you due to his unique stomp. We use to play the “Wii sports” games- bowling was one of our favorites and Troy was very competitive. He would really get into his swing. He loved to play those games with us, there would always be a group of people at our house and Troy was one of them. There was a game in the “Wii Sports” I think skiing or snowboarding and you had to step up on the Wii board to make your body weight shift to play. We kept edging Troy on to play it but he was hesitant due to the stepping on the board… Troy pulled up a chair and sat down with the board in front of him, I was like that’s not going to work, Troy was like “watch me” he sat in that chair and played that game successfully due to his big feet and strong legs. He loved it.  


Troy, 
I  remember a lot of good times we shared. I remember all the late night fun and games "poker", "Pass the Ace", Monopoly...I remember the time we lost power during the storm and it took you an hour to get back to the apartment due to so many trees were down.
So many good times we had- memories of shooting pool and playing in the snow with the trucks. I remember when we would all go night swimming in the pool. 
 I remember Naylor's Beach -going to the river and we loved it!! you would never stay the night with me and my lady . . . you would come entertain, laugh and go home as you just so suddenly did . . 
Troy, you were my friend and my brother and you always will be ...
I love you Bro!!!   Richard Lee and family




One of the earliest memories I have of my baby brother is when I was 6 and he was 3; our family had adopted a baby chicken for Easter and I loved that chick so much.  I went to school one day and when I came home the first thing I wanted to do was check on that chick.  I remember my mom telling me that Troy had tossed it out the window saying "Fly Birdie, Fly!"  I was devastated because chicks just can't fly; my chick was gone.  Eventually I was able to forgive him, after all he was 3 and didn't know any better.   Whenever I would bring it up he would always laugh at me; anyone who has ever experienced Troy's laughter knows you could never stay mad at him and you just had to laugh with him.  Now thinking back on that memory, my thought is "Fly Troy, Fly!!!"  I will miss you more than you will ever know Baby Brother!!!!

Troy......words can't describe the heartache of losing a person who came in my life and left such a imprint on my family and I; from playing pool,  going to the lake, staying up past midnight playing monopoly,  taking me for rides in the tow truck ( I guess I should not mention the time you let me drive it! Sorry Sid) You meant so much to my family and I.  We are deeply saddened and heartbroken- Gone from our sight but never from our hearts!..R.I.P 
                                                          *Emily*

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Troy Frederick Hodges

15 avril 1973 – 20 février 2021

Nelsen Funeral Home & Crematory

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