Troy M. Dassler

MADISON - Troy Dassler, age 52, of the city of Madison, Wis., died surrounded by friends and his loving husband on December 22, 2020, at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison. Troy was born in Sheboygan, Wis., on October 19, 1968, the son of Donald and Sara (Gallegos) Dassler, later Sara Brion. He grew up in Sheboygan, and attended Lakeland College, before joining the Peace Corps and then moving to Madison. He was united in marriage to Robert Winters on August 13, 2004, in Toronto, Canada. Troy was a lifelong educator and caregiver, whether in the Peace Corps, where he served in Costa Rica for two years, as a social worker for the physically, mentally, and emotionally challenged, as a legal guardian for a kind-hearted adult named Eddie, or as a beloved teacher at Aldo Leopold Elementary School in Madison. Most recently, he worked as Senior Outreach Specialist at WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment), an organization that provides resources and training to multilingual educators around the world. Troy developed and ran workshops in most of the states in the United States, Europe, Middle East, and countries as far as China, Japan and Taiwan, translating complicated scientific ideas into meaningful classroom practices, and forming many lasting friendships wherever he taught. As one colleague put it, “To many educators throughout the world, Troy is the face of WIDA.” In addition to traveling for work, Troy enjoyed traveling for pleasure, and he and his husband Robert were able to explore numerous places from Mexico, Guatemala, and Costa Rica to Florence, Venice, and Amsterdam. A highlight was seeing the papal mass and the many treasures of the Vatican. His frequent travels also gave him a community of friends among other frequent travelers and staff at Delta Airlines. When closer to home, Troy also loved visiting with family and friends and spending time with his three dogs, Gus, Sparky, and Dobbie, and cat, Butters, who insisted on jumping onto the computer whenever he had a zoom meeting for work. Troy is survived by his husband, Robert Winters; father, Donald Dassler; brothers, Donnie Dassler Jr., Dean (Noelle) Dassler, Lance (Julie) Dassler, and Ty (Missy) Dassler; brothers-in-law, Wayne Lueck, Patrick (Megan) Winters, and David (Lucrecia) Winters; sister-in-law, Deborah Winters; parents-in-law, Robert and Cathleen Winters; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother, Sara Brion; sister, Christina Lueck; and dear aunt, Connie “Lenny” Gallegos. A memorial service will be held for Troy on Monday, January 4 at 1:00 p.m., at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATION CARE, 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, with Justine Kolb presiding. Due to Covid restrictions, the service is limited in size and by invitation only. Friends and family who wish to view the service via LIVE STREAM may visit Troy’s obituary page at www.gundersonfh.com and click on Live Webcast Link at 1 p.m. on Monday, January 4, 2021. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Outreach Madison, www.outreachmadisonlgbt.org or Centro Hispano of Dane County, www.micentro.org. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson East Funeral & Cremation Care 5203 Monona Drive (608) 221-5420