Lance Trowbridge serves Sisters

Most people in Sisters know the name of Lance Trowbridge.

He's often seen taking his dad to coffee at Ray's Food Place, he served on the board of the community garden, and he's involved with the local chapter of Veterans of Foreign Wars, just to name a few of his activities.

But the truth about Trowbridge is, he knows most people of Sisters, too.

He's lived in the area nearly all his life. If you ask the 61-year-old about himself, his answers often turn to praise of others and how they enhance Sisters.

On a recent morning, he stood outside the community garden gate (which he helped build) and waved to a couple of people driving by. Soon Evelyn Brush, who operates A Joyful Noise Learning Center, walked with her students toward the gardens.

"There's Miss Evelyn. She was on the first (garden) board," he said. "She's a smart lady."

Cindy Standen arrived next at the gardens on Adams Avenue. Trowbridge shared about Standen's commitment to the gardens and continued to tell about all the people who contributed to making the spot successful.

Trowbridge also put plenty of hours into getting the garden ready, says Standen, who has been a garden board member for two years.

He recently stepped down from the board so he would have more time to help his elderly parents, Lois and Howard. Yet he still can be found performing board duties, including mowing the empty lot next to the garden.

When not helping out and enjoying the garden's asters and cosmos, the Sisters native spends his time doing jobs that help those in the community. He can be found cleaning out rentals and hauling trash to the dump for local landlords and fixing things at Angeline's Bakery & Café.

Trowbridge recently completed a garden fence for Henry and Angeline Rhett's vegetable garden. A few years back, Angeline hired him to repair a ceiling and paint a Portland studio so it could become a gluten-free bakery. He says that Rhett has a vision and he enjoys doing jobs for her.

"Angeline is an amazing person. She is someone that I really admire," he said while having coffee at her bakery.

Trowbridge was born in Bend in 1947 and grew up near the old rodeo grounds, now Hoyt's Hardware. He graduated from Sisters High School in 1965. Though it's been 40-plus years since Trowbridge graduated, he still keeps up on what is happening with students and staff at the school.

He thinks highly of the music, art and A.S.P.I.R.E. programs. He's talked with the class of 2009 and enjoyed getting to know Wesley Ford, last year's student body president.

Not only does he respect the school and its programs, he appreciates Principal Bob Macauley's commitment to the Veterans Assembly every November.

"Coach Macauley brings a feeling of community...he's down-to-earth," Trowbridge said.

Trowbridge brings a sense of community to his involvement with the local VFW chapter. He served in the Army for 21 years, retiring in 1991. He was stationed in Germany, Alaska and other locations in the United States. He currently serves as Quarter Master, also known as treasurer, for VFW. He stresses that he's not an official member of VFW because he was never stationed in a combat unit during his military service. Whether he's helping out with the VFW or in the town of Sisters, playing a role in the community is important to Trowbridge.