Troy Ronald Durham, 51, of Glen Allen, Virginia, formerly of Crozet, died on September 2, 2017. He was preceded in death by his father, Thomas Ronald “Root” Durham. He is survived by his wife, Kelly Sullivan Durham; and sons, Tucker and Patrick of Glen Allen; his mother, Carolyn Clark Durham of Charlottesville; his sister, Ashley Durham Smith and her husband, Joshua, of Dallas, Texas; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Born on June 28, 1966, Troy was a gifted athlete. He excelled and lettered in basketball, baseball and golf at Western Albemarle High School and was selected Athlete of the Year his 1984 senior year, setting records that stood for almost 20 years. From there, he attended Virginia Wesleyan College, where he became the first freshman to be named All-Conference Golf Medalist of the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He was later a PGA golf professional at Belmont Golf Course in Henrico County.
Troy had a great sense of humor and a generous heart. He was the life of the party and loyal to his many friends. He was an avid sports fan, always cheering for the Dallas Cowboys and UVA, and spent time coaching baseball and basketball for the local Glen Allen Youth Athletic Association.
His true passion was landscaping his picturesque yard, getting the flowers just right at his home, and keeping everything perfect for the birds in the yard. He was a talented cook and was proud to be a stay-at-home dad to Tucker and Patrick for the last decade. Troy will forever be in our hearts…some lights shine so very bright but are extinguished too soon.
A Celebration of Life was held at Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Glen Allen with burial and graveside service at Rockgate Cemeter in Crozet September 12. In lieu of flowers, the family is suggesting check donations payable to the “Troy Durham Memorial Fund” be taken to any Wells Fargo bank in the U.S. These funds will be used to support college expenses for Troy’s two young sons.
Below is a poem written by Troy that his family wanted to share.
Old Crozet
Old Crozet, that’s where I was grown,
Only wish they had left her alone.
Just a little small town, kind of hard to find,
Those that lived there, we never seemd to mind.
A place where neighbors were so much more,
Hell, we’d spend an hour just talking at the store.
Had an old pool hall, it was cold and black,
Glad I had a shark to watch my back.
Those were the days and those were the years,
All the memories still bring me to tears.
Old Crozet, that’s where I was grown,
Only wish they had left her alone.
We’d roll ‘em up fat and light one up,
Drink straight whiskey out of any old cup.
Had a lot of fun, but we did things right,
And it didn’t matter if you were black or white.
Times were great, the best I’ve ever had.
What made it special was a man I called Dad.
Those were the days, those were the years.
All the memories still bring me to tears.
Old Crozet, that’s where I was grown.
Only wish they had left her alone.
– Troy Ronald Durham, August 2016
