Obituary
Juanita Trotter, 83, a loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend who reveled in her role as the matriarch of her adoring family, passed away April 21 in a car accident while returning home from a week with family in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
She was the daughter of the late Helen Louise and Harry Daniel Pruett, and the wife of the late Jerry Lee Trotter, whom she cherished throughout 57 years of marriage.
Juanita is remembered for her loyalty, her warmth, her humor, and her energy. Throughout her life, she poured herself into the people and the causes she cared about. She was an educator whose work didn’t stop after she retired, but who went on to show through example how to live a life full of positivity, strength and love, even in the face of adversity.
Born on Oct. 16, 1939 in Indianapolis, Indiana, Juanita had a knack for guiding children at a young age. While a student at Southport High School, she opened her own dance studio in the basement of her parents’ home and put the money she made into a savings account for college. The studio would go on to grow and remain in the family for decades, with her sister, Beverly Smithey, taking it over after Juanita graduated from college and growing it into a studio that Beverly owned for over 50 years.
While in high school, Juanita met Jerry, the love of her life, and the two married in 1961. She attended Butler University in Indianapolis for two years and graduated from Indiana University in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree in education.
She taught elementary school for two years, and then took a 12-year pause from teaching to raise her three children, Brad, Mark, and Stacy. Never content to sit still, Juanita sewed nearly all of the clothes that she and her three kids wore (the family joked that only Jerry got to wear store-bought clothing), and she created a home where family dinners were eaten together almost without exception. She treated her children’s friends as though they were her own.
As her kids were growing, Juanita continued her education, earning a master’s degree in elementary education from Indiana University in 1966. In 1975, once all of her children were in grade school, she resumed teaching and spent the next decade in the classroom teaching first grade, third grade and sixth grade.
Always learning and seeking to advance her work in schools, she earned a gifted education certification in 1977 from Purdue University, and she co-developed a process writing curriculum which she used to train over 700 teachers from the Wayne Township school district. She became an assistant director of gifted education.
She furthered her career in school administration in 1990 when she became principal of Union Elementary in Zionsville, Ind. When Jerry took a job in Washington, D.C., in 1992, she became assistant principal at Garfield Elementary in Fairfax County, Va. She went back to school to earn a PhD, and received her doctorate of education degree in 1996 from Indiana University.
A highlight of her career was when she was selected by Fairfax County Public Schools to attend a two-week cultural and study session in South Korea in 1997. The select group was made up of 22 administrators from around the world. She retired from Fairfax County Public Schools as the Principal of Oakton Elementary in July 2001.
Once they were both retired, Juanita and Jerry moved to Smith Mountain Lake in Bedford County, Va., in December 2003. In her “retirement,” Juanita worked at Ferrum College in Ferrum, Va., as an adjunct professor for student teachers for 1 ½ years.
Many empty nester couples look to downsize, but Juanita and Jerry decided to upsize with their home at Smith Mountain Lake, so that family and friends would always be welcome and comfortable. Some seasons, their lake home resembled a bed and breakfast, with loved ones coming and going week after week.
Friendships were paramount to Juanita. Throughout their lives, she and Jerry were exquisite judges of character and one of the greatest lessons they taught their children was how to foster and maintain wonderful friendships. For decades, they would make an annual trip with a group of Jerry’s fraternity brothers who lived all over the country.
Juanita delighted in a competitive game of bridge with friends, and forged friendships in Bible study groups. Her faith followed her throughout her life, and was a source of strength and nourishment even in tough times.
Juanita’s grandchildren were her joy and an enormous source of pride. She cherished the big moments, such as the 16th birthday trips she took with Bradley, Sydney and Summer, and a special cruise she went on with Katie and Annie shortly after Jerry’s death in 2019. She loved the smaller moments with her grandchildren too such as playing marbles and other games.
When Jerry began to experience symptoms of dementia, Juanita and Jerry moved to the Tree Tops community in Lancaster, S.C., in August 2017 to be closer to Stacy and her family. Juanita became active in Weddington United Methodist Church, and she was ever-present in the lives of grandchildren Katie, Annie and Jack, attending their dance competitions, sporting events and school programs.
As her children sorted through her well-organized papers just after her death, they found the following note, which serves as a final gift from Juanita to those who loved her:
“To my children, family and friends: Life is an occasion. Rise to it. Don’t be sad because I died, be happy because I lived. I had a wonderful life.”
Juanita is survived by her sister, Beverly (Bill) Smithey, her children: Brad, Mark (Debby) and Stacy (Kent). She had 8 grandchildren Bradley, Sydney, Jackson (deceased), Summer, Katie, Annie and Jack; and two great grandchildren Bentley and Jackson, as well as numerous beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws.
There will be two celebration of life services:
Saturday, May 13 in Greenwood, IN: Forest Lawn Funeral Home, 1977 S. State Road 135. Visitation from 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and a celebration of life at 11:30 a.m.
Saturday, May 20 in Weddington, NC: Weddington United Methodist Church, 13901 Providence Road. Celebration of life at 11 a.m., with a reception immediately following at Helms Hall on the church campus.
Donations
The family requests any donations be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association.