BY TED SHOCKLEY, Eastern Shore Post —
Troy C. Justis, a paramedic who parlayed an innate knowledge of human nature, an obsessive attention to detail, and a genuine likability into a long career as the advertising manager for the Eastern Shore Post, died Thursday, July 18.
Justis was 60 and lived near Painter. He was the last of the original staff that started the Post in 1999 still working at the newspaper.
A memorial service will be held Tuesday, July 23, at 2 p.m., at Exmore Baptist Church.
On the afternoon he died, Justis double-checked advertisements on the Post’s pages before they were sent to the printing press — just as he had done weekly for the last 25 years.
Justis, who also served as circulation manager, then left the Post’s Exmore office to rest before the midnight arrival of the truckload of newspapers to be distributed.
He never made it, dying hours later at Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital of a heart attack.
His death touched off a wave of social media mourning and tributes from friends, family, and the Eastern Shore’s tightly knit fire and rescue community, which Justis tirelessly served for decades as a mentor, teacher, leader, and advocate.
The outpouring honored Justis’ indelible community standing, deep impact on the area’s emergency medical services, and contradictory persona — Justis was big-hearted but blunt, amiable but direct, a no-nonsense guy who throughly enjoyed a bit of nonsense.
“Wherever he went, there was lively conversation and things got done — on time, accurately, with little fuss and a lot of fun,” said Jim Ritch, publisher and co-owner of the Eastern Shore Post.
Justis also was a dedicated family man who deeply loved his wife, children, and grandchildren and endured devastating personal misfortunes, including the sudden death of two sons, 18 years apart — one as a child, one as an adult.
“It was always his family who took precedence in every facet of his life,” said Cheryl Nowak Sterling, who was the Post’s first editor and part of the ownership group that started the paper, in an email statement.
“I was shocked and heartbroken to hear of his sudden death, but utterly devastated to realize what this will mean for his family, who already have suffered so many tragedies,” she said.
A storyteller par excellence, Justis seemingly was born with the gift of gab, a warmth of spirit, and a mission to serve others.
Raised in Onancock, Justis often recounted how, as a child, he would pedal his bicycle to the homes of newcomers to introduce himself and update them on the town’s happenings and history — a pint-sized, two-wheeled welcome wagon.
He was fascinated by the 1970s television show “Emergency!,” the action-packed fictional account of a rescue service that responds to a city’s myriad emergencies.
The young Justis was hooked and never imagined another career. He joined Melfa Volunteer Fire and Rescue Co. at age 16 and served for years as rescue chief.
Melfa Fire Chief Greg Nottingham said Justis was a leader with a wealth of institutional knowledge.
Whenever someone called with a question he couldn’t answer, Nottingham said he had a ready reply.
“Let me give the phone to Troy,’” he would tell the caller.
Of Justis’ death, Nottingham said, “Everybody’s still trying to wrap their heads around it,” describing their emotions as “shock” and “disbelief.”
Justis also previously worked for Accomack County as a firefighter and paramedic. He was well-known as a emergency medical service trainer.
He also was an Eastern Shoreman in full. Justis gave generously to charity events and always supervised the pizza stand at the Wachapreague Volunteer Fireman’s Carnival.
He loved Eastern Shore sweet corn and fresh peaches purchased from roadside stands, seafood bought from the watermen who harvested it, and more than held his own in the kitchen.
Twenty-five years ago, Candy Farlow — his mother-in-law and one of the Post’s founding partners — thought the likable and loquacious Justis might have a knack for advertising sales.
As Justis recalled it, “She said I could sell Popsicles to an Eskimo,” he said.
Justis thrived in the role, and the dual nature of his personality — a serious-minded man who relished any opportunity to not be serious — was a perfect fit.
“While always at the heart of any hijinks at the office — many of which he instigated — Troy also showed a very protective side when any of us was in trouble,” Sterling said.
In addition to his job responsibilities, over the years Justis became the Post staff’s sage advisor and resident authority on newspaper matters of every stripe.
“We will get his work done. We will put out the paper,” said Ritch. “But Troy will never be replaced.”
