Family was by his side as Roscoe William Bryant Troxtell passed away on December 17, 2016, twenty years to the day he laid his beloved wife to rest.
Roscoe was born on November 20, 1932 in Howe, Texas, one of 13 children, to Kentucky immigrants Christopher Columbus Troxtell and Mary Magdalene Decker Troxtell. C.C. and Mary Troxtell were among the first residents of Kentuckytown, Texas (between Tom Bean and Whitewright) and began farming in the rural areas of Tom Bean, Howe, Van Alstyne and Gunter.
Roscoe married Lillie Ethel Dillard on June 6, 1950 and began a family of nine children, 2 girls and 7 boys. He was a farmer for many years, as were his dad and brothers, until being employed by Burlington Industries in Sherman. He worked multiple jobs to feed his growing family and after many years of employment with BI, he retired and opened his own garage in Tom Bean, Texas, and was well-known for his skill as a mechanic.
Roscoe Troxtell is survived by 7 children, 21 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren and 6 great-great grandchildren; too many to count are his nieces and nephews. His daughters are Judy Conner (Jeff) of Sherman and Carolyn Horton (Mike) of Brownwood, Texas. Sons Billy Troxtell (Sue) of Sherman; Jeffrey Troxtell (Rhonda) of Denison; Robert Troxtell of Tom Bean; Bryan Troxtell (Nikki) of Howe; and Danny Troxtell (Ashley) of Sherman. Three life-long sisters-in-law held a special place in his heart – Dorothy Troxtell of California, Jane Troxtell of Sherman and Ruby Kapchinsky of Claremore, Oklahoma; one brother-in-law, Darrell Nichols of Sherman. These spouses of his siblings were in the Troxtell family longer than many of Roscoe’s children.
Roscoe was preceded in death by his parents, 12 siblings, his wife and 2 sons, Roscoe Jr. and Mikel Joe.
Services will be held at Scoggins Funeral Home in Van Alstyne on Friday, December 30, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. Roscoe’s wishes were to be cremated and buried in the family plot beside his wife at Vittitoe Cemetery in Kentuckytown, Texas. Arrangements are under the direction of Scoggins Funeral Home & Crematory, 637 W. Van Alstyne Parkway, Van Alstyne, TX.
The family extends a special thank you to Dr. Ted Truly for the years of excellent care given to Roscoe. Also, special thanks to Dr. Whitfield, Kim (RN) and the rest of the staff at The Woodlands Place for their kind and compassionate care given to our father during the past several weeks.
Roscoe gained a reputation early as one of the best horseshoe pitchers in the area, building his own ‘Horseshoe Barn’, complete with dirt floor and specifically in which to pitch horseshoes in the winter, heated by an old pot-bellied stove. For many years, people from area rural towns enjoyed his hospitality and weekend tournaments.