Arizona jeweler David Michael Trout dies

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Arizona jeweler David Michael Trout dies

March 18, 2009

David Michael Trout.

Phoenix--Retail jeweler David Michael Trout, a founding partner of Chandler, Ariz.-based Coffin and Trout Fine Jewellers, passed away while hiking on Sunday, March 15. He was 52.

Trout and his business partner, Randy Coffin, opened Coffin and Trout Fine Jewellers in 1984, but Trout began his training in the industry at an early age. Trout's father, Marty Trout, decided that stained glassmaking would be a key to keeping a strong connection with his then-teenage son, and the pair approached the owner of a local jewelry store in Rock Island, Ill., to see if the retailer would be interested in carrying their artwork. The owner agreed, and he also offered the younger Trout--who was then 13--an apprenticeship position servicing watches.

Over the years, Trout's creative designs for Coffin and Trout Fine Jewellers garnered him numerous international design awards, including nine Spectrum Awards and inclusion in the Gemological Institute of America's "Best of the Best" exhibit.

Trout was passionate about his work, and once said, "One of the things I like best about what I do is the number of lives I touch. I enjoy talking to people, listening to their ideas and creating a work of art that will be around for generations. This is truly a responsibility both to nature and our clients for creating such an important piece in someone's life and helping them immortalize a piece of family history."

Trout was also an avid athlete and very active in supporting his community. At the time of his death, he was president of Phoenix Suns Charities, the philanthropic arm of the Arizona NBA team.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, March 20, at the Mountainview Lutheran Church in Phoenix, with a reception to immediately follow at the Ahwatukee Country Club. In lieu of flowers, donations in Trout's memory are requested and should be sent to: Phoenix Sun Charities, P.O. Box 1369, Phoenix, AZ 85001.

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