Katie Trocheck Abel
Supporting Schools for Generations
Katie Trocheck Abel Scholarship Fund
Catholic schools produce more than just scholars and test scores. Their focus on spiritual formation and Christian community builds lasting and lifelong neighbors, friends, and disciples. One of these disciples was Katie Trocheck Abel.
Katie grew up in Avondale Estates and attended St. Thomas More Catholic School. Graduating in 1996, she went on to attend St. Pius X Catholic High School, and after earning a degree in communications and marrying her husband, Mark, Katie returned to the Atlanta area where her two children, Molly and Griffin, would follow in their loving mother’s footsteps, traversing the halls of St. Thomas More Catholic School. It was in the hallways, classrooms, courts, and carpool lines of St. Thomas More where Katie, Mark, Molly, and Griffin would be embraced by their community in times of joy and hardship.
After a brief battle with illness, Katie passed away in 2022, and her parents, Kathy and Tom Trocheck, decided to establish a scholarship fund in Katie’s honor. Having seen two generations of children and grandchildren attend St. Thomas More, the Trochecks recognized the value that a loving, Catholic community can provide not only for the enrichment of the mind but also for the development and support of the soul. By creating this scholarship fund, the Trocheck’s hope to recognize worthy students who will also benefit from the lasting impact that being a part of the St. Thomas More community provided to their daughter.
Katie Trocheck Abel was a selfless member of her community. Having herself served as a consistent volunteer at the school and after building lifelong friendships within the St. Thomas More family, today Katie’s legacy lives on in support of the church and school which embraced her family in its darkest moments. As a result of her parents’ generous donation, many donations from family and friends, and partnership with the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia, now more children will have the opportunity to grow up in a community surrounded by the faith-filled disciples of Christ who offered so much to Katie in her life.