- Del Trolinder
01/08/1937 - 12/29/2023
Lubbock - Long time Midland resident, Del Trolinder, passed away after a brief illness Friday, December 29th in Lubbock, TX. He was 86 years old. Del was born at home on a farm just outside Brownfield, TX on January 8, 1937 to Clyde and Lela Mae Trolinder.
He grew up in Brownfield and Big Spring, TX. In Big Spring, he found his two passions, baseball and music. Del started playing sandlot baseball with his friends and didn't play organized baseball until High School. It was also about this time that Del developed his love for music by listening to the Louisiana Hayride radio show.
When Del was in 9th grade, his family moved to Midland after his father took a job there. Del excelled in baseball at Midland High where he was a switch-hitting catcher and outfielder who led the district in batting average. It was also at this time that Del and his good friend, Rick Matlock, started a country rock "Rockabilly" band called Del and Ric along with Carl Watson (aka Fats). While they played many towns around Midland, they rarely played in Midland, as Del said Midland was very conservative and not accepting of their type of music. They also played on a radio show in Lubbock on Saturdays along with The Crickets. He also got to meet Elvis Presley (with whom he shares a birthday) for the first time when he played a show at the Midland High auditorium with the Louisiana Hayride.
After high school Del and his band continued to play gigs around west Texas and they would record songs at the Norman Petty Recording Studios in Clovis, NM, sometimes right after Buddy Holly and the Crickets. It was also about this time that he met and became friends with a fellow musician from Wink, TX named Roy Orbison. They got to meet with Elvis backstage when he performed with the Louisiana Hayride in Midland again that year. Like Elvis, Del's music career was also put on hold when he was drafted into the Army in 1957. He finished his tour of duty in Washington state in early 1959 and returned to Midland.
Shortly after he came home from the Army, he married Rita Jean Rose and began a family with his daughter Rene, then a son Randy and then another daughter Robin.
He also resumed his music career and in 1959 Del had a top 10 hit song with "So We Walked". He spent some time in Nashville writing and recording songs with Bill Anderson, but returned to Midland where he and his band continued to play around Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma during the 60's and 70's until his good friend and guitarist, Rick Matlock, became ill and passed away in June 1981. At Rick's request, Del took in Rick's teenage son and daughter.
Along with his music, Del also coached Pony league and High Junior baseball. It was through his coaching that he met and coached a promising young catcher, Frankie Garramone. Frankie not only became the catcher of his baseball team, but was also a young musical talent that Del took under his wing and helped prepare for his eventual move to Nashville.
Then Del took to the oil industry and began working for Sinclair as a sample clerk and later a draftsman. He then worked for Librock Landreth Campbell and Callaway as an engineering technician and later went to work for one of their clients, Houston Natural Gas, which merged with Internorth and became ENRON and later EOG Resources. While working at EOG Resources his 2nd wife, Diane, passed away. He went on to retire from EOG Resources a couple of years later.
In 2010 he met and married the love of his life, Sue Anne Smith, who was able to get Del to resume his song writing. He wrote several new songs and with Sue by his side they had them recorded in Nashville with the help of Frankie Garramone, (stage name Garrett Steele). Del and Sue had several wonderful years together, before Sue's passing in 2018.
Del is a rarity, especially in the music business, as he never drank alcohol or smoked. He wasn't a regular church goer, but was a Christian who read his Bible almost every day.
In addition to his parents, Del is predeceased by his brothers, Marvin and Otis Trolinder, his sister, Laverne Berryman, his step-daughter Kimberly Howard, wife Sue Trolinder and previous wife, Diane Trolinder. Del is survived by his son, Randy Trolinder and his wife, Karen, in Crystal Beach, TX, his daughter Rene Matthews, in New Caney, TX, his daughter Robin Williams, in Conroe, TX, his step-daughter, Leila Wilson and her husband, Aaron, in Lubbock, TX, his step-son, Ed Klopfenstein and his wife, Naho, in Meridian, ID, 11 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, 7 step-grandchildren and 7 step great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, January 10th at 2pm in the Chapel at Ellis Funeral Home followed by a graveside burial at 3pm at Resthaven Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, you can make donations to Excellent Life Foundation, 3305 101st St., Suite 200, Lubbock, TX 79423.
Published by Midland Reporter-Telegram on Jan. 6, 2024.
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1937 - 2023 (86 years)
