Obituary of Larry M. Trott

Larry Michael Trott, 71, of Bangor, Maine passed away at his home under the wonderful and loving care of Beacon Hospice on Wednesday, November 21st, 2018. Larry was born in Eastport on a cold night in January of 1947. Life was never easy for him. Larry’s mother died when he was a young child, leaving him and his siblings in the care of his alcoholic father who regularly abused and molested his children. They lived with the hunger that comes from abject poverty. They were poor, even by Washington County standards, and Larry would tell stories about how he was mercilessly ridiculed by fellow students and teachers when he would go to school. This humiliation was one of the things that tortured him for the rest of his life. Larry left Eastport in the early 1960’s and joined the Marines. After discharge from the Marines, he returned to Eastport. The real truth of what happened there in an altercation with his abusive grandfather is known only to those two men. Larry was arrested for his grandfather’s murder. He stated more than once that he had killed the wrong man; his only regret upon his father’s death was that he would not have an opportunity to kill him. He spent most of the next fifty years of his life as a resident of many prison systems or struggling with homelessness on the streets of Portland, Augusta, or Bangor. Larry was a man with many talents. He was a master chess player, and it is fitting that he died during one of the matches for the 2018 World Chess Championships in London. He was a gifted musician who was profiled by the artist Harlan Crichton in an online video featuring his music at https://vimeo.com/163171109. His pencil drawings and paintings of the Maine Coast showed how strongly he was drawn to Maine’s shoreline beauty, even if he was not able to be there himself. He wrote volumes of prison poetry. Above all he was a kind and gentle soul. Larry was a man of deep faith. He struggled to know if he would earn a heavenly reward after some of his life experiences; by the time of his passing he was assured that Christ’s gift for all believers also included him. He found great peace in that gift and his faith in God. If the circumstances of his birth and early life were different, if he had not been immersed in adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), one’s mind can only imagine what else he would have accomplished in this life and how different this obituary would read. If you want to make a difference in the lives of people like Larry: feed the hungry children in your community. Don’t judge the poor. Be kind. Learn more about adverse childhood experiences and how you can help to lessen their burden. Support the Salvation Army, who helped Larry survive in some of his darkest hours without shunning or judgment. Swan Bird I listen daily for the swan bird’s song. Each day it helps me move along. How sweet to hear its melody and the lasting peace inside of me. How sweet to hear the swan bird’s song. To say “farewell” as I move along. Then at last my soul is free. I know someday you’ll follow me. How sweet to hear the swan bird’s song. As she glides away on the quiet pond. The sun is sinking lower now. How sweet to hear the swan bird’s song. -Larry Trott 1947-2018