Friends of Trout bid farewell to the Ridpath teacher

TROUT

Ridpath Elementary second grade teacher Virginia "Ginni" Padgett Trout retired from teaching this year after 23 years.

"Her first love has always been her children," her sister Barbara Hines told the BannerGraphic.

"She has spent every night and weekend devoted to her school work. She took every child as an individual and worked with every one of them," added Hines.

Trout, who is a 1961 graduate of Greencastle High School and 1965 graduate of DePauw University, started her teaching career in Iowa City. She later moved to Athens, Ohio and Springfield.

About a year after losing her home in the Zenia, Ohio tornadoes in 1974 she came home to Greencastle and began teaching at Tzouanakis Intermediate School and later at Ridpath Elementary.

She worked at National City Bank for the first eight years she was back, still teaching at the same time.

She has played the organ and piano at the First Baptist Church since she was 14 years old. That is something she plans to continue doing for a long time.

She has two daughters, Beth Clodfelter and Jill who is married to Collin Mason.

Trout is also known for her exceptionally beautiful yard at her home on Shadowlawn Drive.