Martha Dell "Mardee" Troup

Martha Dell "Mardee" Elizabeth Stewart Troup was born in Santa Monica, California on March 13, 1947. Her childhood years were spent in Bel Air, California until her freshman year in high school, when her family moved to Short Hills, New Jersey. She attended and graduated from the Kent Place School where she excelled in academics and athletics. Also during high school, she played on the U.S. Junior Olympic Field Hockey team. Upon graduating from Kent Place, she was the only one of her classmates to go west of the Mississippi River, as she returned to her beloved home state to attend the University of Southern California.

During her freshman year at USC, Mardee met the love of her life, Rick Troup before a USC-Stanford football game in San Francisco. After only knowing each other for seven short days, they became engaged and were married on October 14, 1967 in San Marino, and soon moved into their home in Arcadia, California.

In 1972, Rick and Mardee moved to Dallas and soon settled in Lake Highlands, a community they grew to love and a community that loved Mardee dearly.

Rick and Mardee had two wonderful daughters, Betsy and Amy. Along with their daughters, she had innumerable "adopted" children with whom she shared her family and their home, both in California and in Lake Highlands. During the late eighties and early nineties, the Troup's home on Covemeadow was always a place of joy and love for the many who called it their second home. Mardee's warmth and hospitality made each person who entered their door always feel as if they were her favorite person.

Mardee had the unique task throughout her life of maintaining her role as a stay at home mom to her beloved girls, but she also worked in numerous positions throughout her life, including a lawn mowing/wallpaper hanging business with other Lake Highlands mothers. This entrepreneurial business suited her well, as it allowed her to stay in great physical shape, maintain her beautiful tan, and demonstrate schedule flexibility so that she could be involved in the girls many activities. She found great joy serving in all of her children's activities through their years at Northlake Elementary, Lake Highlands Jr. High, and Lake Highlands High School. From her service, she achieved a Lifetime Membership in the PTA at Northlake. She also coached soccer in the D'Feeters soccer organization. And for nearly a decade, Mardee served as the Tournament Director for the Dallas Cup. When the World Cup was held in the United States in 1994, she was selected to serve on the World Cup staff as the tournament's Director of Communications.

Most recently, she worked for Piper-Weatherford Co., Distributors of Architectural Hardware - Doors - Frames as a project manager and was blessed to have many friends work side by side with her daily.

As wonderful were the years that the Troup family shared together, Amy's marriage to Rich Traynor soon blessed Mardee with the most recent and highest joy of her life, her grandchildren. To Declan Troup Traynor, Finn Michael Traynor, and Lorelei Dell Traynor, she was Nan. To Mardee, those children, in addition to her daughters, were the light of her life. Her memory not only lives on through the lives of so many who were blessed by knowing her, but Mardee's legacy of love and living life to the fullest now illuminates the lives of her three precious grandchildren.

Preceding her in death are her beloved grandparents, Ethel and Harry Stewart and Carrie and Johnny Leipold. Mardee is survived by her husband of 43 years, Rick; their children Betsy Troup of Dallas and Amy and Rich Traynor of Bernardsville, New Jersey. Among a host of living friends and relatives, her memory is cherished by her Aunt Betty and Uncle Ralph Schisler and her cousins Don, Kent, and Craig Schisler; sister-in-law Sandy Troup; nieces Christina Oghigian and Melinda Panagiotacopulos.

Following a private burial at Restland Memorial Park, a celebration of Mardee's rich and impactful life will be held at 2pm on Monday, January 3, 2011 in the Chapel of Prestonwood Baptist Church at 6801 W. Park Boulevard, Plano, Texas 75093. Immediately following the service, a reception will be held at the home of longtime family friends Ann and Rusty Trenary, 6614 Stefani Drive, in Dallas.

The Troup family would like to extend a special heart of gratitude to the staff and nurses on the second floor of the Jackson Tower at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas and at Texas Oncology-Dallas. Under the direction of Dr. James Strauss, these friends joined the many others who Mardee warmly loved as if they were family. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be made to the American Cancer Society.