Troy Anthony Garriga, Sr.

Mr. Troy Anthony Garriga, Sr., 73, of Ocean Springs, MS, died Tuesday, August 3, 2010, in Ocean Springs. Mr. Garriga was born on February 18, 1937. The son of a notorious moonshiner, Troy was forced to forego school to work as his father's coal boy, hauling bags of sugar and tending the still. At fifteen, he was warned by a judge the next time he was brought before the court he would spend a year in prison. That very night, sitting in a truck loaded with barrels of moonshine, he made a decision that would forever change his life, stepping out of the truck into a driving rain and proclaiming his bootlegging days over. Over the next few years, Troy traveled from California to Florida and later remarked that he would have been a movie star if he'd only learned how to read. Despite making a living early on with his hands, working as a roofer that could put down a square in record time, he quickly discovered he had a natural gift for gambling and a love for easy money. By the time the 70's rolled around, he'd mastered gambling and become one of the country's best high-stakes poker players. Over the next thirty years Troy would become a poker legend by beating the game's best, like Doyle Brunson, and stars like Redd Foxx and Telly Savalas; Chip Reese, a legend in his own right, once stated that Troy was the best seven card-stud player in the world. More than anything, Troy was a character with a larger-than-life personality. He was a born storyteller, spinning yarns Mark Twain would have envied. He lived his life to the fullest. Along the way he road with Custer, lived with the indians, and was a General in the Russian Army. Those who knew him will miss his smile, his grin at the end of a great story, his generosity and his optimistic belief of the goodness in everybody. He left for the happy hunting ground on August 3rd, 2010 after a short battle with cancer. He is survived and loved by his many children and grandchildren, friends and family. Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home in Ocean Springs is in charge of arrangements.