Obituary of Ernest Barritt Troughton

Ernest Barritt Troughton

Ernest Barritt Troughton; "Ernie", was born on September 7, 1934 to mother, Hilda Muriel Troughton and father, Ernest Troughton in Tampa, Florida. His parents made the courageous decision during the Great Depression to emigrate from Lancaster, England to Tampa, Florida. His father worked alongside William J. Barritt, his mother's cousin, who started Poinsetta Dairy and which later became known as Borden's Ice Cream. A proud Tampa native, Ernie attended Hillsborough High School and studied engineering at the University of Tampa and University of Florida. Ernie had an amazingly gifted and curious mind and was always challenging himself to learn new things and mastered so many subjects. With an entrepreneurial spirit, he and his business partner founded the very successful wastewater sales representative company McLaughlin-Troughton & Associates in 1976, which is now MTS Environmental, Inc. Outside of work, as he was not one to sit idle, he received his pilot's license along with an IFR rating. He dedicated much of his time to support the betterment of the airport community Pilot Country, where he resided, and he was often referred to as one of the pioneers of the aviation community. Aside from flying his own plane, Ernie also enjoyed traveling, via driving his Foretravel motorhome to go on trips with family and friends, taking cruises to visit different ports of call or every so often traveling overseas to England to spend time with his cousins. He spent the summers in NE Georgia mountains where he built and renovated several homes using his own equipment but also took even greater pleasure in volunteering his machinery to help out by doing work for his community and friends. Being a boating and water enthusiast, Ernie relished being on his boat either at the lake or on the gulf. He also achieved the PADI scuba diver certification for discovering the beauty below the water's surface. Later in life he studied and earned his HAM radio license along with achieving the General rating and enjoyed using it to listen and talk to his HAM fellow members especially at night.

A man of deep faith in God with a fiercely determined drive and a natural leader. He was adventurous and free spirited with a zest for life and a love for travel. He was quick witted with an infectious smile that made his eyes sparkle and radiated an aura of charisma and charm. He was a deep thinker that was often misunderstood, but for those who were fortunate enough to know him well were blessed to be privy to his opinions, the wisdom that he shared and to be part of his life. He was cherished and loved by so many people, more than he ever realized.