By Nicole Falco
Mr. Tronsor was born in Freeport and raised in Valley Stream. After serving in the Marines in World War II and then graduating from college in 1949, he taught music, first at Roosevelt, then at Valley Stream District 13 for more than 30 years. He retired from the Howell Road School in 1983. In 1988, he and his wife moved to Ephrata, Pa.
"Everything with him was music," said his twin sister, Katherine Keefer, of North Fort Myers, Fla., and Raquette Lake, N.Y.
Two of Mr. Tronsor's best friends, Charlie Mayer and Ferdy Hoefner, recall playing trombone and string bass alongside his trumpet throughout high school. All three graduated from Central High School, Hoefner in 1942, Mayer in 1943 and Mr. Tronsor in 1944.
After high school, Mr. Tronsor headed off to war. A corporal when he was discharged, he earned two Purple Hearts and the Silver Star after being shot twice on the battlefield while attempting to save his commanding officer. He was shot in the arm during the first rescue attempt and in the leg during the second. Finally, on the third try, he was able to reach the wounded lieutenant. Though the lieutenant would later die from his injuries, Mr. Tronsor was still honored for his heroic efforts.
After returning from Japan, he enrolled in West Chester State Teachers College in Pennsylvania at the urging of his music teacher, community band founder John Smith. In college Mr. Tronsor roomed with Mayer and Hoefner. Like him, they had just returned from the war. The three left college with degrees and wives. Mr. Tronsor married Elizabeth Halm in 1950 after graduating in 1949. Mayer married Mary Emily; and Hoefner married Kay. Like their husbands, Kay and Elizabeth grew up together and were roommates in college.
"You might say we switched roommates legally," Hoefner joked.
Mr. Tronsor went on to earn a master's degree in education from Hofstra in 1951. After the brief stint in Roosevelt, he taught at Valley Stream schools. He taught mainly at District 13, but spent about two years at the Central High School District. His wife also taught in District 13, as did their friends, the Mayers. Elizabeth was a member of the inaugural teaching staff at the James A Dever School before teaching first grade in the Wheeler Avenue School. Kay taught briefly in a Long Island school district, then raised a family. Hoefner was a principal in the Wantagh School District for 30 years.
"He was a fine friend," Mayer, now a resident of Middletown, said of Mr. Tronsor. "He was a wonderful guy. He'd do anything for you. He'd give you the shirt off his back -- that's the kind of guy he was."
Hoefner said Mr. Tronsor was "like a brother" to him. The Hoefners moved to Ephrata in 1980. The Tronsors followed in 1988 and the two couples, along with the Mayers, often vacationed together.
Besides being able to teach almost any musical instrument, Mr. Tronsor wrote songs. He was also a trumpet soloist in the Valley Stream Community Band, and a member from the band's inception until his retirement in 1983. He played trumpet in a local dance band, "Club 44," for many years. Despite his musical talents, however, Elizabeth jokes that her husband had "two left feet."
"He took his music very seriously," recalled Charlie Zipperlein, a fellow District 13 teacher and community band member. "He was a top trumpet player."
Mr. Tronsor also enjoyed traveling, monitoring the stock market and building furniture.
"He was just a very special, special person," Elizabeth said. "A terrific role model for anyone. A true gentleman and a real man's man. Anybody that needed his help, he was there at the drop of a hat ... he had a great sense of humor and a hearty laugh."
The couple celebrated their 53rd anniversary 10 days before Mr. Tronsor died. Their family organized a surprise party for them at the hospital.
Besides his wife and sister, Tronsor is survived by a daughter, Pamela, of Ephrata; a son, Jeffrey, of Germantown, Tenn., and three grandchildren. He was predeceased by a brother, Edward.
The family requests that any memorial contributions be made to a favorite charity. Burial, with full military honors, will take place at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery at 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 3. Friends and relatives are invited to attend a "celebration of his life" at Mr. Tronsor's home in Ephrata at 3 p.m.
Elizabeth will sum up her husband's life at his memorial service by saying "This was no ordinary life; this was a life well lived and well loved; a life that will be deeply missed."
