Stephen Douglas Troy

Stephen Douglas Troy (1959 - 2025)

Stephen Douglas Troy, 65, of Rye, NH passed away February 26th, 2025 at Tufts Medical Center in Boston after a period of declining health. He was surrounded by lifelong friends and family members.



Steve was born May 5, 1959 in Prestwick, Scotland. Together with his Father Donald, Mother Joyce and Brother Colin, they followed Sgt. Troy's U.S. Air Force career wherever it took them, eventually settling in Rye, NH in 1967. Fun fact - Sgt. Troy served for a while on Dwight Eisenhower's presidential plane, the Columbine II, which became the first aircraft to be known as "Air Force One".

Steve attended school in Rye, Portsmouth Senior High and then the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH. After college, he and lifelong friend Pete Freeze (Rye, NH) migrated to Concrete WA where both pursued a variety of livelihoods.

During the forest fire season, Steve worked as a Lead Sawyer for the Baker River Hotshots, a US Forest Service front-line firefighting squad. Steve was the Real Deal, along with his crews, flying in by helicopter to battle blazes in the Western states fire zones. During the rest of the year, Steve worked leading crews for Skagit Forest Services, an outfit specializing in the reforestation of harvested timberland. Here Steve was also a Lead Sawyer. When it was time to replant the clear-cuts he led the way up the slopes, always with a crew of planters behind him, trying their best to keep up. Steve's colleagues estimate that he and his crews planted more than a million trees. Both jobs involved large chainsaws, grueling labor and physical danger. And intense camaraderie. Steve lived in upstate Washington making many deep-rooted friends before returning to the Seacoast in 2020 to take care of his mother Joyce, who passed in late 2021.

Steve was pre-deceased by his brother Colin in 1978, his father Donald in 1988 and his mother Joyce in 2021. Steve is survived by many cousins in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Scotland, along with many lifelong friends everywhere.

There will be a Celebration of Steve's Life on the morning of August 26 in Rye, NH. Please contact arnojohnm@gmail.com if you might be interested in attending and for details.