In Memoriam of Gania Trotter

It is with deep sadness and sincere appreciation that we at Claremont School of Theology acknowledge the life, legacy, and passing of our dear friend Gania Trotter, who passed peacefully on April 19th at Mount San Antonio Gardens, Pomona, CA, at the age of 94.

Gania was a longtime friend of the school, and she will be dearly missed. Professor Frank Rogers remembers, “Gania was always smiling — her face radiated with kindness and cheer.”

Gania held degrees in choral music and education from Occidental College and Columbia Teachers College, and she served in many areas and communities throughout her life as a musician and choral director, an arts development administrator, and political activist. 

In 1953, Gania married Rev. Dr. F. Thomas Trotter, who would go on to serve CST for more than two decades as a professor, dean, interim president, and board member. Tom passed away on July 26, 2019. During their 66 years of marriage, they supported each other through lives of service to the church, the academy, and to local communities. In 2006, CST awarded the couple the Distinguished Service Award at the Annual President’s Council Dinner.

President Jeffrey Kuan said, “It was an honor and a blessing for my wife Val and me to have gotten to know Gania and Tom Trotter. Over the years, we visited with them and shared many meals together. We were their guests for lunch at Mt. San Antonio Gardens and once we even cooked a meal and brought it to their place to eat with them. We always enjoyed their company and conversations. I will remember Gania’s lively spirit and generosity. She loved CST and it was so important to her that the school had a thriving future.” 

While in Claremont, Gania directed the Claremont School of Theology Chorale and adult and youth choirs at Claremont United Methodist Church, where she and Tom were active members.

Though she officially retired from a career in music, development, and education in 1995, Gania served as CST’s interim Director of Development for a short time in 2000. Prior to that, in 1997, at a celebration of Tom’s fifty years of service to the church, the F. Thomas Trotter Endowed Scholarship was established at CST.

The couple remained active donors to the School for more than forty years. In an interview with Gania in March of 2020, she said, “Tom believed the key to life and faith and loving God was to love God with your mind. Education was the core of his faith and life, and his desire was to give young people the ability to study at CST without financial burden.

I know that without scholarships, many are not able to afford these extra years of study, and I wish more financial support was available for students.” Gania went on to explain that her hope for the recipients of their scholarship was that they continue to serve the church, explaining, “Seminary is important to the future of the church, and we believe in educated ministers.” 

In the last couple of decades, Gania continued following her passions by participating in political, environmental, and arts groups. She actively supported efforts to protect the environment from overdevelopment, and just last year she worked tirelessly, writing letters and making phone calls to encourage Americans to vote in the November 2020 election.

Gania is survived by her children, Ruth Elizabeth Trotter (Brett Watterson), Tania Trotter Batson (Greg Batson) and Mary Kathleen Trotter (Robert Kaufman); grandchildren Thomas, Daniel, and Wesley Batson; step-grandchildren Travis Watterson (Meetra), Ryan Watterson, and Rachel Azevedo (Lucas); and numerous beloved sisters- and brothers-in-law, nieces, and nephews. 

A memorial celebration of Gania’s life will take place this summer. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Claremont School of Theology, Office of Advancement and Communications, 1325 N. College Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711-9967 (denote on check: F. Thomas Trotter Scholarship) You may also click here to donate electronically.

Donations may also be made to the Africa University Development Fund, by mailing gifts to Africa University Development Office, P.O. Box 340007, Nashville, TN 37203-0007. The Trotters were instrumental in the development of Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe.

Read Gania’s obituary in the Los Angeles Times here.