Dr. Robert W. Trever

Robert Trever embraced life to the fullest, whether it was time with his family, his medical practice, or his hobbies. A world traveler and life-long learner, he also savored life’s simple pleasures, down to the last bite of a bowl of mint-chocolate chip ice cream. A man who was forever in motion came to rest on September 11, 2013 at age 85. Born to Karl and Myra Trever in 1927, he spent most of his boyhood in the Washington, DC area. He rolled Easter eggs on the White House Lawn, served on the Boy Scout Honor Guard during a White House visit by England’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and worked as a book runner in the Library of Congress. But his fondest childhood memories were of trying to direct his two younger sisters’ activities on outings to DC parks, and of fishing and boating on visits with relatives in Wisconsin. He graduated salutatorian from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, VA. Coming of age as World War II ended, he served as a U.S. Army Med Lab Tech at the 171st Evac. Hospital in Fort Bragg, NC. After his Army stint, he attended George Washington University and received his medical degree from the University of Virginia. He completed his residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he courted nursing student Margaret Barber. They married in Baltimore in 1954 and started their family. In 1958, Dr. Trever moved his growing family to Easton, where he began a medical practice that served generations of patients until closing its doors in 2004. In his early years as a doctor, his research findings appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine and other publications. He has been honored for his many contributions to expanding the quality of service at Easton Memorial Hospital (now Shore Health). But he took the most pride in his everyday work with patients at his office and area care facilities. More than one patient has said, “I’m here because of you, doc.” Although he had not been an athlete in school, he learned baseball and football to support the interests of his three sons. He coached the Easton Little League Rotary baseball team and Falcons Pony League football team and followed the ups and downs of his players as they made their way in life. He took great pride in each of his 7 children, attending numerous band concerts, theatrical productions, and graduation ceremonies. At one of many Baltimore Orioles games, a new hobby entered his life. The binoculars he had brought to study the action lit on nighthawks eating bugs in the Memorial Stadium lights. He joined his parents and sisters in their hobby of birding, locally with the Talbot County Bird Club and traveling the globe with family members to see new kinds of birds. He became interested in photography, Spanish, archaeology, botany, and ecology, and he enjoyed giving photo lectures of his travels to groups across Maryland. Even as Parkinson’s disease shrank his world in recent years, Dr. Trever stayed active. He shared his experience with the local Parkinson’s support group and was a morning fixture on Easton’s Rails to Trails. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Margaret; his children Paula, Mark (Laurie), Elaine (Tom Jahnke), Cynthia (Chris Loynd), Ed, John (Lynn), and Kathleen (Tom Peppersack); his sisters Elizabeth Trever and Martha Connor; grandchildren Trever and Ann Loynd, and Nicholas, Rebecca, Olivier, and Xavier Trever; and dog Jak. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Talbot Hospice Foundation, www.talbothospice.org; Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson Research, www.michaeljfox.org; or a charity of choice. A memorial service will be held on October 12, 2013 at 2pm at St. Marks United Methodist Church in Easton.

Dr. Robert W. Trever

October 28, 1927 - September 11, 2013