DENISE LYNN TROXELL

Denise Lynn Troxell of Hagerstown, MD passed away peacefully on September 10th, 2024 surrounded by friends and family.

She was born on June 6, 1954 in Fort Knox, KY to Robert H. Rollins ll and Jacqueline Alice (Aldridge) Rollins.

She graduated from Robert E. Peary High School in Rockville, MD in1972 and married her late husband, Kenneth P. Troxell in 1982. 

In 1990, she graduated from Shepherd College, Summa Cum Laude with a BA in K-8 Education. She cherished her time teaching 7th grade at Boonsboro Middle School before her doctors advised her to focus on her health.  

In 1992 she and her sons restored a c.1810 dogtrot log cabin in Sharpsburg, MD. In 1997 she received a double-lung-transplant, an experience she later wrote about in her columns for the Herald Mail sharing her journey and underscoring her belief in the gift of life. 

Denise was an active member of her community, serving on the Sharpsburg Town Council from 1998 to 2001. In 2003, she co-founded the Friends of Tolson's Chapel in Sharpsburg, a cause close to her heart. Throughout her life, she also dedicated time to volunteering for the Robert W. Johnson Community Center, the Boonsboro Library Board, SHAF, CPWC, and the Hagerstown Reproductive Clinic, where she protected and supported patients until her health prevented her from continuing. In 2020, her brother, Lee, generously donated a kidney, helping to extend her life.

She believed in a God who entrusted us with the care of one another and the stewardship of this beautiful planet. She was especially attuned to nature, believing that all living things communicate to create a sanctuary for life here on Earth.

Above all, Denise valued her family and the friendships that brought her joy throughout her life. She is survived by her sons, Robert  Sean Troxell, his wife Melody, granddaughters Grace Evelyn and Cassidy Alex of Riverdale, MD, and  Alexander Dean Troxell and his wife Devon of Finksburg, MD. Also her sister, Katherine Alice Rigolage(Jacques) of Silver Spring, MD, her brothers W. Lee Rollins  (Jackie) of Milford, NJ, and brother Robert H. Rollins III (Cindy) of Hagerstown, along with many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.  

Denise would ask that you plant a tree or donate to Friends of Tolson's Chapel at P.O. Box 162, Sharpsburg, MD 21782, or volunteer to help the world instead of sending flowers.