Hi. I’m Earl. Earl G. Bass. I live in that lake over yonder near Little Rock, Arkansas. I want to tell you a story about my adversary, who lived in Little Rock, and just recently, made his way up to the big, fishing boat in the sky! I saw him flash a fishing lure, a “Magnet Lure,” at me one more time, on his way up, on June 28, 2022.
His name was Troy. Troy Troutman. Born hereabouts in 1963, say, April 26th…His momma, Ms. Bonnie, and dad, Mr. Harry, loved that boy. He was a mischievous little boy, who grew into a fine, young man. Did well in school, graduating from Mills High School, there in Little Rock.
Can’t rightly say when we first met. I reckon it was he was about 6 or 7….it was a battle from then on. But hey, this story ain’t about me, it’s about Troy.
Did y’all know that Troy was into “Tai-Kwon-Do?” He was a bit on the small side growing up, and decided he liked to defend himself. It taught him discipline and patience. On that road of Tae-Kwan-Do, he won several championships, and was a devotee of Grand Master Lee, a lifelong friend. The skills he learned in this practice came in handy in many instances of his work life.
Troy had this thing about cars….and his daddy….if you ever asked Troy about his daddy, you would see his chest swell and his eyes water…Troy was so proud to be Harry Troutman’s son.….He and Harry Troutman LOVED to work on cars, and Troy LOVED to have fast ones! He felt it was his “ticket to the ladies” at that time. That affection for automobiles circled back later in his life.
About the time he finished high school, he became a daddy, to Tiffany. Shortly after, there came Jared, and finally, Bailey. He would grumble about Bailey when she was in high school, but Lord, in the next sentence, he would extoll all of the ways she made him proud. Tiffany was his “business woman,” and Bailey was his baby. He loved his children but like most daddies, had a special relationship with “his girls.” You know, out on the lake, when it was just Troy and I, Troy would tell me about his family. How special it was. SO many Aunts! Marty! Mickey! Jan! Glenda! Patricia! Uncles! Clayton! Jim! Cousins! But boy, let me tell you, Troy loved his momma and daddy. Not a day on the lake went by where he wasn’t telling me the latest about his momma and daddy. He even came by in late 2001 to tell me about his dad and how much he already missed him.
Troy never shied away from work. He worked all of his life. This journey started out at Lufkin Industries, his first job. He ran errands and did small stuff around the office. He then started following his father’s footsteps into law enforcement. Initially, he worked at the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department. Lord, some of the stories Troy used to tell me about work while we were tussling out there on that lake. I laughed so hard, I’m pretty sure Troy wondered where all of those bubbles were coming from. That was me, laughing. I’m lucky I didn’t go belly-up, from laughing so hard. Troy was an awesome storyteller. He went on to tell me about his time as a bailiff for Pulaski County Courts. He got to wear all of those nice suits…he had a thing for “looking good.” Loved watches. Showed off so many of them to me, I think was blinded once or twice. Along the way, he made so many lifelong friends.
However, he got tired of not being home, seeing his daughter, Bailey, as she grew up, so he retired. Now, we all know, Troy couldn’t sit still. So, he did some sales work, ending up at English Color, where he specialized in auto paint. If a repair shop couldn’t figure out why the paint “wasn’t laying down
right,” they called Troy. He’d be there in a heartbeat, and effortlessly, show them what was wrong and how to “lay the paint down right.”
Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that he was a Master Mason. He was so darn proud of that. Troy lost two lures in the lake while telling me about it! It brought Troy back to his faith. For a long time, Troy felt a bit lost. His daddy, Harry, was a mason, and one day, Troy asked a mason about the organization. Troy had found his way back to the right path. He was a member of the Adoniram Lodge in Mabelvale, Arkansas. He loved all of his brothers there and treasured the relationships he made there.
Troy also loved his pipes. He liked cigars, but he LOVED his pipes. He treasured the pipes he got from his father, and fondly told me stories about those, and the particular tobacco his dad really liked. He enjoyed going down to see “Greg” at the Pipe & Tobacco shop there in Little Rock and sitting around “The Table of Knowledge,” telling stories. I did tell you Troy was a great storyteller!
Well, I reckon I’ve pulled on your ears ‘bout long enough. However, I do want to tell you that Ms. Bonnie, Bailey, Tiffany, and the rest of the clan would love to have you come visit and say goodbye to Troy. Visitation will be at from Griffin Leggett Healey & Roth Funeral Home, 5800 W 12th St, Little Rock, starting at 9 a.m. Service will be at 10 a.m.
Be right nice of all of you to show…maybe I’ll be there, with one of the many lures I took from Troy!
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