WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
A Centreville High School graduate is being remembered as a kind, sports-loving person who never forgot his roots in St. Joseph County.
Verne Troyer, who gained worldwide fame as the character Mini-Me in the 1999 film, “The Spy Who Shagged Me,” passed away in Los Angeles over the weekend at the age of 49.
He was a member of Centreville High School’s class of 1987.
With appearances in more than two dozen movies to his credit, Troyer is most commonly associated with the Austin Powers movie franchise, as the character Mini-Me.
Amy Lyn Weller, formerly Schrader, said Troyer was always an athlete and he loved sports. She said he never considered himself any different. She said Troyer had a big heart and never sought pity for the size difference between himself and his classmates.
Bill Groth, also a member of Centreville’s class of ’87, said his sons had occasion to meet Troyer a number of years ago in Centreville and it was an experience nobody in the Groth family will forget, he said.
Spearheaded by then-undersheriff Dennis Allen, “Verne Troyer Day” was celebrated in 2003. It was declared a success based on the number of people who gathered in an attempt to meet Troyer at the F.O.P. Lodge.
