Obituary of Gary Owen Trotter

Trotter—Gary Owen 82  

A generous soul and kindred spirit, Dr. Trotter died at peace on March 24, 2024 
after a prolonged illness.

Devoted husband to Katherine, his wife of 60 years, loving father to his son,
Alexander; and his daughter, Holly (John) Johnston; beloved Baba to his three
granddaughters, Loreena, Annika, and Sonja, Gary will be greatly missed by his
family and his many lifelong friends. He was a man of letters, with a deep love of
literature and the arts, a keen concern for the lives of others, and a uniquely
penetrating wit and manner of expression.

He graduated with distinction from Hofstra University in 1963 with a degree in
English, served as an Army officer during the Vietnam era, and earned master’s
and doctoral degrees in American Literature from SUNY Buffalo in 1979. Gary
spent most of his life and career in Maryland, where he lived with his family and
devoted 30 years to teaching classic and contemporary American literature and
“the word and how it works” to his many students at the University of the District
of Columbia in Washington, DC. Gary was also widely known in the academic
community for his engaging teaching style at Hofstra as a recent graduate, at
SUNY Buffalo as a graduate student, and in Maryland at community colleges, an
art school, and a prison. With Gaudeamus igitur  (So let us rejoice), his favorite
graduation anthem of student joy despite the shortness of life, we bid farewell to
a noble heart.

The arrangements have been entrusted to the William E. Law Funeral Home in
Massapequa, NY. The family plans a future memorial celebration. For more
information: williamlawfh.com.