nucklehead Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 http://www.msn.com/en-ca/lifestyle/marriage/trolls-restaurant-owners-die-days-apart-after-52-years-of-marriage/ar-AAmc5Ez?ocid=spartanntp Quote The couple who owned one of the most renowned family restaurants in B.C. died days apart over the weekend. Gary and Carol Troll, owners of Trolls Restaurant in Horseshoe Bay, were childhood sweethearts who'd been married for 52 years. Recently, Gary had been battling lung and esophageal cancer. Carol had been living with rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes for nearly a decade and moved to the Lynn Valley Care Centre last year. Around Christmas, the pair's health started to decline. Long-time friend Holly Kemp said the couple, along with their family, knew they didn't have much time left together. Their last visit was Jan. 17. "The two of them, when they last saw each other, sort of realized that neither one of them was going to make it for any length of time," Kemp said. "So we were sort of preparing for one of them, if not both of them, to go." Carol passed away on Friday. Gary was admitted to Vancouver General Hospital that same day. He didn't know his wife had died, but Kemp said he'd been struggling to breathe. On Sunday, Gary's family told him about Carol's passing. "It was at that point in time that we were all telling him it was time to go. He doesn't need to fight. He doesn't need to look after us anymore. He can freely go and know that she's waiting for him," Kemp said. "I think that was part of the timing ... Carol had given up her fight, so he thought, 'Let's go join each other.'" Gary died Monday afternoon, surrounded by family and friends. 'There's no one that wasn't welcome' Kemp said losing Gary and Carol at the same time has been "surreal." "They had thousands of customers," Kemp said. "There's no one that wasn't welcome in this restaurant. That's what they were like. It was their living room. It was their dining room, and you feel that. "They were fun-loving, warm, community-oriented, family people." Trolls was founded by Gary's parents, Joe and Dot, in 1946. Gary and Carol took over the fish and chips business in the early '70s. Kemp, who's been the restaurant's general manager for 12 years, said Gary insisted that business continue as usual after he died. "I even said to him, 'Can I close on the day ...?' And he said, 'No, honey, you can't be closing when I die. It will be fine.' "We want people to come in, share our grief, share our sadness, tell their story, so we can all take comfort," Kemp added. Remember this place while waiting for ferries years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffraff Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Used to go there as a family when I was a kid. Mr. Troll was always in the restaurant talking to the customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckylager Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Aww man, matters of the heart eh. I always hit up Trolls while waiting 2-3 sailings, stuck in HS bay, but I digress. This sort of thing is fairly common, so I've been told. My Grandpa almost died of a heart attack two days after my Grandma died. A year or so later he was on his death bed, we said our good-byes as I stayed as strong as I could for the WW2 and Korean War vet when he told me "This is no way for a man like me to live.... They better not wake me up again" Spoken with a chuckle and grin. Two wars, two, but the man would have died from a broken heart if they didn't restart his ticker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Building Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 I used to frequent Trolls for a cold one and a bite when I was a regular between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay because my dad did the same before me. Quote "I even said to him, 'Can I close on the day ...?' And he said, 'No, honey, you can't be closing when I die. It will be fine.' "We want people to come in, share our grief, share our sadness, tell their story, so we can all take comfort," Kemp added Besides general hunger, if that doesn't make me feel like a 2 piece then nothing will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crabcakes Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Joe's Fish Stew, awesome!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derp... Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Good place, sounds like better people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShakyWalton Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Back a number of years Gary Troll won the 649 twice..once for about 1 million and once for around 14 million I recall..they never closed their doors..a landmark in Horseshoe Bay...RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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