Representative Ira Trombley of Grand Isle died yesterday. The release from the VDP office said only that his passing was “unexpected.” Trombley, who was 57, is survived by his wife and three children.
I didn't know Ira well at all. I was still working for the coordinated campaign when he was first voted into office, and that's where I met him. I haven't seen him very often at all in recent years, although he would occasionally drop me a postcard when he read something on GMD he liked.
Ira always struck me as friendly, intelligent – and above all, a very, very good man. That last adjective may sound trite or uninspired, but believe me when I say that, in my book at least, there is no higher praise.
But more than simply being good, Ira made a difference. He became a lawmaker and put his ideals into action. Every good thing the legislature has done (and in the case of something like marriage equality, historic thing) is a part of his legacy, every bit as much as the less public parts of his life. In ways big and small, he made the world a better place than it was when he came into it.
So I suppose there was some higher praise after all.
This is very sad. He was one of the good guys for sure! I feel lucky to have known him for a few years, and especially on Facebook more recently. VT Freedom to Marry has a nice memorial posted on their website.
Vermont Freedom to Marry Hero Dies
http://www.vtfreetomarry.org/
I have a few myself. I never met the man and really know nothing about him, other than the thoughtfulness he showed in taking the time to write those postcards to people who wrote letters to the editor, op-eds and the like, that he really appreciated. He must have written those words of encouragement to many people; and each one was a special moment of validation, one-on-one, that did its part to keep us all going…often when we were taking a particularly unpopular position about one thing or the other. He didn’t have to do that; I wasn’t even in his district. What a nice thing to do! Thanks, Ira.
I was also on the receiving end of a handful of Ira postcards. I didn’t know him terribly well, we’d only spoken a few times, but I know he had worked as a counselor to teens, and he never stopped mentioning how proud he was of that. One of the nicest people I’ve met in politics, period. Sad to see him go, but it’s a testament to his legacy that he cast a vital vote on historic legislation when his body had been keeping him away from Montpelier all session.
Thanks for all your work.
was the recipient of a number of his postcards over the years
a thoughtful, caring, and decent man
I wondered how he could do all those postcards. I kept getting them as well. I did not know him, but he seemed like a decent fellow that cared about us.
the legislature will be that much poorer with out him. What happened?
This is a real shock. I never knew Ira well, although I dealt with him occasionally at the State House. We also became Facebook friends and he could be counted on to share some interesting, personal, and unexpected item.
What a loss.
Sometimes Ira would send clippings to people who were mentioned in news stories. He sent me a few when my name would come up, sent me a copy of the February press conference coverage on the marriage equality bill. He was a genuinely nice guy who stood for all the right things. Rep. Kathie Keenan told the Messenger that he had a unique perspective: “He had a way of putting a twist on things that was very logical.” I thought of it as that he could do the “Rubic’s Cube” thing with a possibly counter-intuitive twist and everything would fall into place.
The news from Grand Isle by way of the County Chair is that there will be a memorial service after the new year (his pastor is reportedly away on a long-planned trip and won’t be back until then).
What a terrible loss.
NanuqFC
It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives. The act of dying is not of importance, it lasts so short a time. ~ Samuel Johnson