Obituaries
Josephine Trotter, 89, Fairlawn resident, retired teacher and Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame Inductee
She served in the Navy during World War II and retired from the Coventry schools in 1982.
Josephine M. Trotter, retired schoolteacher, World War II Navy veteran and past president of the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) National in Ohio, was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 2006.
The Fairlawn resident, who died July 17 at age 89, also served on the Summit County veterans committee and played a key role in opening the Akron Community Based Outpatient Clinic to assist veterans.
The citation on the Hall of Fame website says Trotter was known by local veterans for her extended outreach, as shown by her involvement in the first Women Veterans Health Fair and Akron Stand Down for homeless and displaced veterans of Summit County.
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She was a charter member of North Coast WAVES, WIMSA (Women in Military Service for America) and the WWII Memorial. She also belonged to the American Legion, VFW Auxiliary and NCVA (Naval Cryptologic Veterans Association).
Trotter, an Akron native, was a member of St. Martha's Elementary School Class of 1935 and attended the 75th annual class reunion. She played clarinet in the Viking Marching Band at North High School, where she graduated in 1939.
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During World War II, the former Josephine Daley was stationed with the Navy at Imperial Beach, CA, where she met fellow radio operator Fred Trotter, who became her husband.
She went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Akron and teach in the Coventry schools for 28 years before retiring in 1982.
Trotter lived at the for the last two years.
Survivors include her children, Barbara, Thomas and Mary; three grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; and sister, Roberta Butler. Her husband of 55 years, Fred, is deceased.
Calling hours are 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Friday, July 22, at , 3653 West Market St., Fairlawn.
Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 23, at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church (formerly St. Martha), 300 East Tallmadge Ave., Akron.
Burial will take place at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery at a later date.
Donations may be made to North Coast WAVES, Unit 21, c/o Sharon L. Nicholson, Treasurer, 7574 Hidden Acres Dr., Medina, OH 44256.