Russell Troutman, 81, an attorney, died May 27, 2015, after battling Alzheimer's.

He was born July 27, 1933, in the West Virginia town of Beckley to Holmes Fielding Troutman, a physician, and Florence Wallet Troutman. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Page, West Virginia. Mr. Troutman was preceded in death by two sisters, Florence and Joanna.

He is survived by three children: Holmes Russell Troutman Jr. (Mary), a surgeon in Seattle; Richard B. Troutman (Lisa), an attorney in Winter Park; and Teresa Troutman Lind (Gus), a veterinarian in Pine Mountain, Georgia; and nine grandchildren.

Besides his passion for justice and his family and friends, Mr. Troutman was a man of deep faith and love for the Lord Jesus Christ; a devoted alumni of Marshall University and "The Thundering Herd," and he cherished his 1952 Buick Super. The steering wheel of what he once described as the "penultimate of grandeur" now is in the hands of a fourth generation of Troutmans.

In the 1960s Mr. Troutman recognized the need of the less fortunate for competent legal representation. Thus was born his legacy, the Legal Aid Society of Orange County, Florida, which became a model for Bar associations throughout the nation to provide legal services to low-income citizens. He was proud of going before the Florida Supreme Court to argue that all lawyers in the county be required to serve the poor.

He once said, "It is our responsibility to provide representation to people who cannot afford a lawyer. The Bible says to tithe 10 percent of our income. We need to give 10 percent of our time as well. I had no idea how the [legal aid] program would turn out, but looking back on it, my leadership role in the matter appears to be my most salient career legacy."

Mr. Troutman also served the president of The Orange County Bar and later The Florida Bar. He was proud of being the first president of the Florida Supreme Court Historical Association.

Mr. Troutman graduated in 1955 with a degree in journalism from Marshall University. He soon migrated to Florida, and attended the University of Miami Law School. With his Juris Doctor degree in hand, he joined the prestigious Akerman Law Firm in Orlando, and quickly became a partner. In 1968, he was appointed Winter Park City Attorney, and a year later established his own firm in Winter Park.


Mr. Troutman authored more than a thousand articles throughout his life in legal journals, including The Florida Bar Journal, and weekly newspapers. For the past 18 years, he was a frequent contributor to the Orlando Sentinel's editorial pages. He was the host of a talk show for 17 years on WFTV. His guests included Bob Hope, Judge John Sirica, John Glenn, James J. Kilpatrick, Lawrence Welk, Ginger Rogers, David Carradine, former Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Johnny Unitas, and Patricia Troutman, his childhood sweetheart and the mother of his three children.

He loved to play the piano, and found it difficult to pass one up without sitting down to share one or two songs. He was an avid tennis player, but loved to write songs and poetry in his free time.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to Orlando Children's Church, P.O. Box 724, Winter Park, FL 32790, or to the Legal Aid Society of Orange County.

The DeGusipe Funeral Home in Maitland is handling the services.