Troy Allen Immel

I remember he would always grab his ponytail and flip it above and over his head. It was so adorable. He did it for lots of reasons I suppose; having fun, nervousness. I remember running my fingers though it and combing it many times after we had caught some cheese. I met him for the first time in summer of '01 at the campground Chief Hosa, just outside of Red Rocks. He handed me something with a big smile and an inquisitive look and from that moment on I knew he was as true a human being as i would have ever met. RJ, Keith, Jim, do you remember that day...? How there was not a cloud in the sky...blue heavens kissing our eyelids. Those neon orange capes....and that visor...HA! I have so many shows that his life and energy live through. I miss him dearly. I love you all. He was the most selfless person I had ever met when I was 18....he seemed mystical, a shaman of sorts. He and I shared our undying love for SCI. I was not able to make it to the last ones at Red Rocks.....I sure wish I had....if not just to hug him and tell him I loved him...so, so much! Peace, D

I remember meeting him for the first time December 1981. Unfortunatly we gave him and his friends chicken pox.  It was the first time we actualy saw Santa at christmas and danced in the sprinklers at New Years.  I have a picture of Troy, myself and my sister in the desert with a donkey.  All  a bit wierd for an English 7 year old.

I never got to hang out with Troy that often due to living in LA but when I did he always left a remarkable impression. The last time I saw him was at LDI when he came bouncing up to me out of nowhere on the convention floor wearing that big smile of his and saying a  "Hey What's Up?" Whenever I did spend time with him it always amazed me the amount of energy and enthusiasm he radiated which use to rub off on all around him. I also know he cared dearly and had an endless amount compassion for his friends and comrades.
We are all going miss you Troy but we will NEVER forget you.   KC

Troy was purely that genuine greatness in my life and the kindest person I know. He cared so deeply for people and lived in a way that always benefited those around him. He was selfless and always knew he needed to make the most of his energy while with us all. Sometimes Troy would be misunderstood and often taken for granted. I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to truly love him while he was here to share all of his love, laughter, and that memorable one of a kind Troyness. The lasting impressions and memories this beautiful life we know as Troy Immel, will always be here or wherever you enjoyed his energy. Thank you dear friend for changing the course of my existence and showing me a new life.

I've run into Troy probably a dozen times in different places all over the country, seeing some Cheese.   My favorite memory is the time in Telluride after the first night of Cheese.  A bunch of us were messing around in town and someone thought it would be fun to take the gondola ride over the mountain (and back?).  The ride operators told us we would have time to come back before they shut down for the night.  This was not true, we ended up on the other side of the mountain, at midnight, when they shut down the gondolas and told us we were pretty much stuck on the other side of the mountain for the night.  This led to much consternation and more wrangling and negotiations until somebody finally showed up with a van that drove us back to town.  We were all exhausted and frozen and rained onand up very, very late trying to make it back to our beds. 

I guess this isn't really about Troy, it's just a wacky unfortunate adventure we shared.  We all had a good time, I guess.

-Trevor Browning