Obituary of John R Trail

Services for Professor John R. Trail, 91, of Lexington, will be private. Woodridge Funeral Home of Lexington is assisting the family. John Trail passed away November 10, 2019. Born in London England, on April 8, 1928, he was the son of the late John Trail and Martha Curd Trail. At the age of 29, John and his friend, Jack Meldrum, left London in a van to travel across the Sahara desert to East Africa. They had many adventures across an unmarked route. John obtained a job in Uganda, teaching building and engineering at the Wairaka Technical School. This is where John met his wife, Cynthia Quinnell.

John and Cynthia resided in Uganda for 9 years. They moved back to England in 1964, where John became a professor at Luton University. In 2007, John and Cynthia moved to the United States, to live with near his son, Andrew, and family. John loved spending time with family and friends, motocross with his son and grandson and gardening. 

 John is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Cynthia Quinnell Trail; daughter, Jackie Trail Atkins of Malaga Spain and husband David; son, Andrew John Trail of Lexington and wife Leal; grandchildren, Charlotte Atkins, Tessa Trail and Daniel Trail; great-granddaughter, Africa Atkins.

 In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Salvation Army, 3024 Farrow Road, Columbia, SC 29203. John was very passionate about the Salvation Army; at a young age, John and his family were bombed out during WWII in London. The Salvation Army were always on the front line to help the families get back on their feet.

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