Elsie B. Trochesset

June 20, 1923 - September 16, 2017

GENEVA – Elsie B. Trochesset, 94, of Geneva, passed away on Saturday, September 16, 2017 at Geneva General Hospital. Friends may call at the First Baptist Church of Geneva, 134 N. Main Street, on Wednesday, September 20th from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. Funeral services will follow at 6:00 PM with the Rev. Phyllis Granger officiating. Burial will be on Thursday, September 21st at 11:00 AM in Sampson Veterans Memorial Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Baptist Church of Geneva Memorial Fund, or to Happiness House, a residence and school for developmentally disabled persons (www.happinesshouse.org). Born Elsie Louise Jeanette Benson on June 20, 1923 in Port Alleghany, Pennsylvania, she moved to Geneva at age five where she remained until her death on Saturday, September 16th. Elsie graduated from Geneva High School in 1941, the same year that she entered and won the New York State cherry pie making competition. She advanced to the national competition in Chicago and bested her baking rivals to become National Cherry Pie Champion. For her achievement, she received an audience with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and lunch with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.  Upon her return home, she received a welcome from a local marching band and many local citizens. She met her husband, Vernon Trochesset, at Sampson Naval Base where she worked as an office clerk. The couple married on July 3, 1943. Vernon and Elsie were married for 69 years until Vernon's death in 2012. Elsie actively served the Geneva and Ontario County Republican Committee for over fifty years in various positions and regularly recruited poll workers during elections. She served on the Geneva Housing Authority board of commissioners for 27 years. She worked for the Geneva school system as a bus driver for seventeen years. She spent the last ten of those years driving a bus for students from Happiness House who affectionately referred to her as "Mrs. T." Following her retirement, she volunteered at Geneva General Hospital. Elsie was a member of the First Baptist Church of Geneva for over seventy-five years and served the church in many positions including deacon, treasurer of the memorial fund, and member of the Women's Circle. She is survived by her daughters: Karen (Jim) McElhenny, Renee (Gary) Meeks, and Denise (Gary) Trochesset-Schroeder; grandchildren: Sean McElhenny, Leigh (Isaiah) Bryan, Nicole Meeks, and Jason (Stephanie) Meeks, and their children Haydn and Everly. Elsie is predeceased by her husband Vernon Trochesset, her parents Amanda and George Benson, her two sisters Gladys Benson Carver and Neva Benson McMullen, and by her son David Bruce Trochesset.