In memoriam

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He wasn’t alone in his view of Dr. Trainer, he says. “Countless students, residents, and fellows shared my admiration.”

Dr. Pritt recalls Dr. Trainer stepping up after his official retirement to mentor junior pathologists during a time when there was a shortage of senior pathologists at UVM. “For all of those young faculty, he was a lifeline,” she says.

“He definitely touched many, many lives,” Dr. Anderson says, and left behind “quite the legacy.”

Though colleagues mourn his death, Dr. MacPherson says, he and others are thankful for having had the opportunity to benefit from his wisdom and experience.

“Dr. Trainer was and always will be a role model in both my professional and private life,” says Dr. Mount.

Dr. Pritt shared what Dr. Trainer’s UVM colleagues have said: “He died on his own terms.”

“He led a very happy and fulfilling life right up until the end. He played a full game of golf, went to sleep, and drifted off,” she says.

Dr. Trainer was named CAP Pathologist of the Year in 1995, and he received the CAP Laboratory Improvement Program Service Award in 1997.

He is survived by his brother, four daughters, four grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and his companion Marilyn Trepanier. His wife, Joan Francis Freme, predeceased him in 2006.

—Amy Carpenter Aquino