Photo by Chris Militzer
Troy was honored as Grand Marshall of the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday, March 18, 2018.
Alexandria Living Legend and St. Patrick's Day Parade founder Pat Troy passed away Thursday. He was 76. Along with his wife, Bernadette, Troy was an immigrant from Ireland and owned the Irish Walk shop on King Street.
Troy was Grand Marshall of the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday.
"Alexandria’s history is filled with the contributions of the Irish people who lived here. It is appropriate that we celebrate and recognize their contributions," Troy said in his Living Legends biography. He lived in Alexandria for more than 40 years.
According to that biography, "Troy was raised near the banks of the Shannon River in Kilcormac County, Ireland. In the 1960s, a 21-year-old Troy emigrated to the U.S. with $50 in his pocket. A deeply religious man, he has been a parishioner at St. Mary’s Catholic Church for more than 30 years. Troy has been married to his wife, Bernadette, for 45 years."
Mayor Allison Silberberg told WTOP that "Troy and his wife’s Grand Marshal honor during this year’s parade on a bright, beautiful day was a fitting tribute to Troy, just days before his death. 'How incredible it is that he was able to enjoy this moment and the city was able to salute him,” Silberberg added.'"
The following is Troy's official obituary:
Patrick Ronald Troy, 76, of Alexandria passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. His family were by his side when he went peacefully to be with the Lord.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 52 years, Bernadette, his children, Kathleen and Patrick, his son-in-law, Alan, daughter-in-law, Dow, and his devoted granddaughters, Mairead and Reyha. He is also survived by his brothers, Michael and Desmond. Pat was a native of Kilcormac, County Offaly, Ireland.
He emigrated to Washington, DC where he worked as a butler serving the elite including The Kennedy Family. He appeared on "What's My Line?" in 1963. He was the host of The Irish Radio Show for 45 years. He spent 35 years as the proprietor of Ireland's Own Restaurant & Pub and was famous for "The Unicorn."
Pat was also the owner of The Irish Walk import store. He was the founder of the Alexandria St. Patrick's Day Parade. He founded two divisions of the Ancient Order of Hibernians including the John F. Kennedy division 5 in Maryland and the Frank Herbert-Pat Cady division in Alexandria. He was a member of The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, member of the Order of Malta member of the Knights of Columbus Fitzgerald Council 459. He was involved with the Rose of Tralee for 20 years. Through his involvement with Project Children, he helped bring Catholic and Protestant children to escape the troubles in Northern Ireland to the United States for the summer. He also raised funds for a soccer camp in the North and a summer camp in Kilcormac. He was active in both the local and Irish communities, GAA, politics and the church. The highlight of his life was entertaining President Ronald Reagan at his pub in 1988 and meeting Pope Benedict and Pope Francis.
He earned the City of Alexandria's title of Living Legend for his service to the community. He was the first recipient of the Irish Spirit award given by the Washington Nationals baseball team. Pat never forgot where he came from and went home annually to Offaly. He wrote a book titled I Have A Story To Tell.
A celebration of his Pat Troy's life will be held in Alexandria. The wake is on Friday, April 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Demaine Funeral Home, 520 S. Washington St.
A Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, April 7 at 11 a.m. at The Basilica of St. Mary, 310 S. Royal St. Internment immediately following the mass at St. Mary Cemetery, 1001 S. Royal St.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Ann's Center for Children, Youth & Families, 4901 Eastern Ave., Hyattsville, MD 20782 and Christ House 131 S. West St., Alexandria, VA 22314.
