Troy Alan Van Aacken

Troy Van Aacken, 44, of Atlanta, died early morning June 22, 2020 with his son Alex and wife Susan at his bedside, each holding his hand. The family enjoyed time together on Father's Day hours before his passing. Troy was an amazing husband and father, a proud Georgia Tech Alumni, and a gifted attorney. He enjoyed playing trivia with friends, watching his son Alex’s robotic tournaments, attending all of his son's baseball, basketball and football games and traveling with Alex and Susan around the globe with frequent stops to the Disney parks.

Despite his significant honors and accomplishments over the years as an electrical engineer, attorney, and marathon runner, his last text to Alex, a rising Woodward Academy sophomore after their Father's Day visit, said, “I’m so proud of you! You’re the most important thing I’ve ever done.” To appreciate the significance of that text is to understand how much Troy accomplished.

Troy grew up in Savannah, GA, and later moved with his mom closer to his grandparents, uncles, and cousins. He was so proud of his mom and her trailblazing path as one of the first women to earn her bachelor and Master of Engineering degrees from Marquette University in the late 1960s. He was a member of the football team and the aviation club at Sheboygan Falls High School in Wisconsin.

Troy’s office reflected on his career. Returning to Georgia for college, Troy graduated with the highest honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After working as an electrical engineer for Raytheon in Dallas, TX, he decided to pursue an intellectual property-related career. He attended the University of Texas at Austin Law School, where he earned a Juris Doctorate Degree. After law school, Troy used his technical mastery to advance his clients' interests at the Atlanta law firms Thomas Horstemeyer, Jones Day, and later Fish and Richardson. Before deciding to join ARRIS in 2009, Troy was very proud of the role he played as one of the founding four attorneys, and the first patent prosecution attorney when Fish and Richardson opened their doors in Atlanta, GA.

While with ARRIS he initially focused on patent prosecution, ARRIS quickly relied on Troy to guide corporate strategy in licensing and patent disputes. He formed the litigation team in 2013, skillfully managing a broad range of litigations across all of the subsidiaries around the globe, and continued that role after the early 2019 acquisition by CommScope, which led to the company being in the Fortune 500.

In Troy's his role as CommScope’s Global Head of Litigation, as Vice President and Lead Counsel, he liked being called upon to advise interdisciplinary teams of legal, engineering, sales, product management and marketing as well as legal professionals coming together to help CommScope win in the marketplace.

Troy loved to talk with friends and colleagues about what he was reading, what he was watching, and what was on his mind, especially at lunch to take a break from the pressing activities during the day. Troy’s friend further shared that if it was football season those lunch breaks inevitably focused on Georgia Tech Football.

Troy loved cheering for Yellow Jackets. To say he was unflinchingly committed in his vocal support is an understatement among understatements. Troy would not settle for the mundane taunt questioning a referee’s intelligence and eyesight. No one who lined up opposite of the White and Gold—opposing players, coaches, fans, and referees alike—was safe from his ire. He was a big man who could be LOUD. So much so that he drew combined looks of admiration and angst from fans in the stands around him. Troy was a quiet man, and it was out of character for sure, but wonderful at the same time. From time to time friends and parents got a glimpse of this enthusiasm when Alex was competing in baseball, football, basketball, swim team, and later robotics.

Troy was preceded in death by his mother, Karen Van Aacken, and is survived by his wife, Susan and son, Alex; and his father-in-law and mother-in-law, George and Jane Silver and many family members and friends.

In addition to the in-person celebration of Troy’s life there will be a virtual celebration to facilitate participation amidst COVID-19 restrictions. This virtual option will be held at the same time as the in-person on Sunday, June 28 via Zoom. We will begin promptly at 2:00 PM EST so please do log in early if you are new to Zoom. It would mean so much to Susan, Alex, and all of the family if you could participate via Zoom.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85932465396?pwd=cEFmQXU0SWlZazJVUlIrQzk1TDVmUT09

Meeting ID: 859 3246 5396

Password: 222092

The in person celebration to honor Troy’s life, will include a curated display of some of his panoramic travel photography on Sunday, June 28, 2020 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm EST at H.M. Patterson and Son, Arlington Chapel, 173 Allen Rd., NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests your consideration of memorial donations to the Georgia Institute of Technology or to the YMCA.

Troy was a supporter of the Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Public Policy where the Law, Science and Technology Program supports pre-law students and the emerging Georgia Tech mock trial team.

The YMCA of the USA organization played a significant role in Troy’s childhood as the Y was the only place where a single, working mom could give her son access to after school childcare, sports and camps in the 70s and 80s. Later our local Atlanta Y was where Troy pounded away on the treadmill transforming his health through exercise, leading to several marathon finishes and inspiring those around him.

Direct on-line gifts to can be made to [http://development.gatech.edu" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://development.gatech.edu,/]http://development.gatech.edu, using the ‘GIVE NOW’ button. It is important in the ‘Other Designation’ box, to enter Van Aacken GT Law Fund. Donations can also be mailed to the Georgia Tech Foundation, Inc., 760 Spring Street, NW, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30308. If mailing a check please note the Van Aacken GT Law Fund.

Memorial donations to the YMCA may be directed to the Cowart Family YMCA through this direct giving link: https://ymcaofmetroatlanta.givingfuel.com/support-your-local-ymca-cowart Mailing address: 3692 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Brookhaven, GA 30319.

We loved Troy and are grieving his death. At the same time, choosing an appropriate service to honor his life is made more difficult by the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been instances, including in Georgia, where people contracted COVID-19 after attending a funeral service. To be sure that our grief is not compounded by friends and family getting ill due to exposure at the visitation, the funeral home will require that masks be worn and to keep at least 6 feet from anyone not living in your home. We hope you understand our concerns for everyone's well- being and attend the celebration of life.

For those of you attending in person, he had a fantastic set of good looking, fashionable friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors. Please dress comfortably for Georgia in June as Troy would have wanted.