Obituary of Vincent Troy Thompson

Insight into Troy’s Life Journey… When you hear the name Vincent “Troy” Thompson the first thing that might come to mind is his infectious smile, or maybe his impeccable wit, or maybe his gift for making you feel special. Every person that had the pleasure to know Troy would have an adjective to describe him that would always make you smile, he just had a way about him that made people fall in love with his spirit and the person he embodied. His smile would light up any room no matter who else was there he would be noticed, and his presence was felt by all! On October 25, 2020 after a hard-fought battle with cancer that smile left this earthly realm and is now brightening up heaven. Troy as most called him, was the second child of Florence “Cookie” Moore and Marvin Joe Thompson, born on December 13, 1962. He was by all accounts a busy child, with a lot of energy, never doubted by those who knew him, energy was another word attributed to Troy, he stayed busy and always showed a level of energy that was well beyond his age in his later years. When he was growing up he was known in the community and in Kalamazoo for his sportsmanship and accomplishments in track, and football, he was a “great” athlete and served as a role model for his siblings in his commitment to sports and his teams. Troy’s love of sports never ended he continued playing recreationally and taught others how important it was to be active and to strive for excellence in sports. He encouraged and mentored his little “sis” to become active in sports and treated her like “a little brother” when it came to sports, which helped her to also strive for excellence. Troy’s passion, love and mentorship didn’t ever stop, he married Denise Reno and they raised 3 sons together and he was always supporting them in their outlets, and at their sporting events (yelling) at the top of his lungs to show his unwavering love and support. He would pick up a ball with any of his many nieces and nephews and taunt them about how he could beat them in sports, probably as recent as this past summer. He also coached local neighborhood kids in sports and served as a role model for them until he was no longer able to do so. He like his parents, and siblings attended Kalamazoo Central, and upon completing school, Troy worked primarily in manufacturing as he liked to use his hands and was very mechanically inclined. He was always fixing something for somebody, and offering to help, his gregarious nature was displayed in everything he did, along with that gorgeous smile. Troy loved his siblings (brothers Tony, David and sister Marcia) and he always wanted you to know he loved you! He didn’t need a reason to celebrate family by firing up the grill, or taking an impromptu fishing trip, to bond with those he loved. He would hug, and kiss you whenever the opportunity would arise, he was always surrounded by family and he relished it. His presence, smile, and sheer ability to make you laugh will be missed by so many to list a few, his parents; Cookie Moore and Ed Moore (deceased), Marvin and Julia Thompson; his sons Antione, Sherron, and Tre; his partner in life Denise Reno; his former in-laws Betty Reno and Mike Reno (deceased); his step siblings Mary Lynn, Danny, and Terry; all his sister and brother-in laws; his uncles, and aunts, and Thompson, Macklin, and Jackson cousins, his nieces, nephews, and grandchildren; and all the people he literally decided to embrace as family in the entire City of Kalamazoo. Troy embodied love, faith and family! Each keeping him grounded and ever striving to be a person you could depend on, lean on, call upon when you needed a little lift in your spirit, even if he wasn’t having the best day. Troy grew up attending his family church Emanuel Chapel and his most recent church was Bible Baptist. Troy had that “special” quality you can’t quite wrap your brain around, but you knew it when you met him, and even in his final laps he still had that sparkle that made him the man we all loved. He will be missed, but never forgotten!