More than 400 people came together on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013 to celebrate the life of Troy Wolff.
In a packed room in the Pagoda Union Building on the Shoreline Community College campus, family, friends, co-workers and students gathered to remember Wolff and the positive impact the beloved and respected English instructor and department chair had on many lives.
Wolff died Sept. 14, 2013 at Harborview Medical Center where he was taken after he and his partner, Kristen Ito, were injured in a random attack the previous evening while walking in Seattle’s Pioneer Square area following a Sounders soccer match. Ito survived the attack and attended the celebration of life for Wolff.
The service included Bob Francis, Wolff’s friend and co-worker an Acting Dean of Social Sciences, as a facilitator. Wolff’s brother, Tony Wolff, offered opening remarks and was then followed by two hours of family, students, friends and those from Shoreline coming forward to offer heartfelt, poignant and often humorous remembrances. Prior to the service, Interim President Daryl Campbell offered: “This is our time to cry, to grieve, but also to celebrate what a wonderful person Troy was and what he meant to so many people.” Faculty member Amy Kinsel and others also spoke to media before and after the service.
Recently retired English instructor Ed Harkness read the poem, “The Long Boat,” by Stanley Kunitz. Music was provided by Music faculty member Helena Azevedo, who played “Victory in Jesus” and other selections. Photos and video clips of Wolff provided by family and friends were shown at several points during the event.
At the request of his family, the Shoreline Community College Foundation, has established the Troy Wolff Humanities Scholarship.