Troy Strezeski’s love of golf lives on through new scholarship fund
Patty Strezeski is turning her late husband Troy’s love of golf into a way to give back to the community.
On Wednesday, Sept. 16, she launched the first Troy Strezeski Memorial Golf Outing in his honor, with proceeds going toward a scholarship fund for local high school students pursuing careers in the trades.
Troy Strezeski, who died in May 2025, was a longtime local businessperson and one of the two co-owners of Troy-Alan car dealerships.
According to Patty, Troy loved spending time on the golf course, making the sport a fitting centerpiece for a fundraiser designed to carry on his legacy.
“After losing Troy, I knew I wanted to find a meaningful way to continue his legacy,” she said. “Troy was certainly well known in our community through Troy-Alan Chevrolet Buick GMC and the relationships he built throughout his career, but I also want people to remember Troy simply for who he was as a person. A golf outing was just something that makes sense.”
With the help of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce, the inaugural outing kicked off the morning of Sept. 16 at Olde Stonewall Golf Club in Beaver County, featuring an 18-hole scramble tournament with basket raffles, silent auctions and other prizes.
“(Golf) was something he enjoyed with his friends and it was something we did together,” Strezeski said. “I have so many great memories of golfing together. Troy’s good friend, Chris Carkhuff, who also golfed in a league with him, approached me about holding a memorial golf outing. Knowing I wanted to do this as well, it was a natural way to honor Troy. Chris and I put together a small committee, and from there we simply ran with it. I am incredibly proud of this committee and the amount of time, work and heart everyone has put into making this first outing a reality.”
The scholarship fund, named the Troy Strezeski Memorial Scholarship, will help students who choose trade careers after high school by providing financial support as they begin their education or training.
Funds raised from the outing will benefit two scholarship opportunities — one each for a Knoch and a Butler Area high school graduate.
Strezeski said she knew from the beginning she wanted the event to be about more than one day of golf. She wanted Troy's name to continue to help someone else.
“We chose to establish the Troy Strezeski Memorial Scholarship focused on trade schools, which will benefit graduating seniors from both Butler Area High School and Knoch High School who plan to continue their education through a trade or technical program,” she said. “We are beginning with a smaller scholarship in our first year but our hope is to grow it year after year and make an even greater impact on young people in our community as they work toward their careers and chase their dreams.”
Strezeski said the response to the first outing has been “overwhelming” in a good way, and seeing friends, businesses, golfers and members of the community come together in Troy's memory meant more to her and their family than could be put into words.
“Of course, we want the golf outing to be a wonderful day filled with golf, laughter, friendship and probably a few stories about Troy,” she said. “But most importantly, I hope it becomes something that continues for many years — a day that keeps Troy's spirit of generosity alive while creating opportunities for the next generation.”
Troy Strezeski, alongside his father F. Alan Strezeski, purchased a car dealership in Slippery Rock in 1993. Later, in 1997, they opened a second car dealership in Kittanning. They have been recognized several times by General Motors as Dealer of the Year.
Patty Strezeski has said Troy was also a huge entertainer who loved doing Elvis Presley impressions and moonwalking to Michael Jackson songs.
“Troy was one of the most genuine and giving people I have ever known,” she said. “He cared about people, he loved helping others and he had a way of making people feel important. Whether someone was family, a lifelong friend, an employee, a customer or someone he had just met, Troy treated people with kindness and respect.”
