TribLIVE
Extreme work ethic drove Brenizer man
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh, PA
Published: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2002,
Whether building houses, installing a new roof, or making doll furniture, Ronald Lee Trenney Sr. loved to work with wood.
His lifelong affinity with carpentry began at an early age. He began working as a carpenter with his father, Anthony P. Trenney, around the age of 8.
It would become even more of a family affair when Mr. Trenney decided about 10 years ago that everyone who came to his home at Christmas would leave with a present. He pressed the entire family into service to help make the gifts — hundreds of them, said his son, Ronald Trenney Jr., a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
"He put the whole family to work. Some of us sanded, some painted," he said. "And every one of the presents was gift-wrapped."
Mr. Trenney, 67, of Brenizer, Derry Township, died Saturday, Sept. 28, 2002, at his home.
"He loved to be in the woodshop. He was always looking for reasons to be in his woodshop," Ronald Trenney Jr. said. "He was a guy who just couldn't come home and sit in the house. He was always doing something."
In addition to woodworking, Mr. Trenney enjoyed the family's swimming pool or working in the garden. During the winter months, he also loved to bake cookies.
Mr. Trenney had an "extreme" work ethic, his sons said. "The more I look back on it the more I understand what he was trying to teach me," said Frank Trenney, an athletic trainer at IUP.
Prior to retirement, Mr. Trenney was employed by Latrobe Steel for 42 years. In 1979, he was injured in an accident at work and lost a foot. "He still worked another 20 years in the mill," Ron Trenney Jr. said.
Mr. Trenney and his wife of 45 years, Antoinette Primozich Trenney, put their five children — three sons and two daughters — through IUP without a single student loan.
"We all came out of school debt-free," said Donald Trenney, the couple's oldest son.
But life at the Trenney house was not all work.
"He wanted his children to enjoy their childhoods," said Donald Trenney, the owner of Karadante's restaurant in Hopewell Township, Beaver County.
The air compressor in Mr. Trenney's workshop was a big hit with the neighborhood children. He would keep bicycle tires inflated and keep their riders in Popsicles and candy, said his daughter, Karen Trenney.
Mr. Trenney was very committed to his children and grandchildren. When Donald Trenney played football in high school and college, his mother and father attended every game.
"You would look in the stands and there would be my mom and dad. They were the first ones there," he said.
Mr. Trenney taught all of his children to dance, Karen Trenney said.
"He loved to dance," even after his injury, she said. "He would always be dancing. From the first song until the band left."
He also loved to bake sugar cookies.
"He was famous for his Christmas sugar cookies," Karen Trenney said.
But Mr. Trenney didn't just bake any sugar cookies — his Santa faces and reindeers were in full color. And he made lots of them. "He would make six or seven batches of each," she said.
Karen Trenney said Christmas was a special time around the Trenney house. In the fall, the family would make its annual pilgrimage to the fields behind the house to scout for Christmas trees. "We always had a big beautiful tree with homemade ornaments and strings of popcorn," she said.
The children would get their own tree as well. "We would always pick one that we thought no one would want. We called it the Snoopy tree," she said.
The family has decided to carry on Mr. Trenney's tradition of making Christmas presents and will keep the woodshop as it is so family members can use it.
The family will receive friends today from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Richard L. Shoemaker Funeral Home, 49 N. Walnut St., Blairsville. Services will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the funeral home with the Rev. Mark Yarger officiating.
Extreme work ethic drove Brenizer man
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh, PA
Published: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2002,
Whether building houses, installing a new roof, or making doll furniture, Ronald Lee Trenney Sr. loved to work with wood.
His lifelong affinity with carpentry began at an early age. He began working as a carpenter with his father, Anthony P. Trenney, around the age of 8.
It would become even more of a family affair when Mr. Trenney decided about 10 years ago that everyone who came to his home at Christmas would leave with a present. He pressed the entire family into service to help make the gifts — hundreds of them, said his son, Ronald Trenney Jr., a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
"He put the whole family to work. Some of us sanded, some painted," he said. "And every one of the presents was gift-wrapped."
Mr. Trenney, 67, of Brenizer, Derry Township, died Saturday, Sept. 28, 2002, at his home.
"He loved to be in the woodshop. He was always looking for reasons to be in his woodshop," Ronald Trenney Jr. said. "He was a guy who just couldn't come home and sit in the house. He was always doing something."
In addition to woodworking, Mr. Trenney enjoyed the family's swimming pool or working in the garden. During the winter months, he also loved to bake cookies.
Mr. Trenney had an "extreme" work ethic, his sons said. "The more I look back on it the more I understand what he was trying to teach me," said Frank Trenney, an athletic trainer at IUP.
Prior to retirement, Mr. Trenney was employed by Latrobe Steel for 42 years. In 1979, he was injured in an accident at work and lost a foot. "He still worked another 20 years in the mill," Ron Trenney Jr. said.
Mr. Trenney and his wife of 45 years, Antoinette Primozich Trenney, put their five children — three sons and two daughters — through IUP without a single student loan.
"We all came out of school debt-free," said Donald Trenney, the couple's oldest son.
But life at the Trenney house was not all work.
"He wanted his children to enjoy their childhoods," said Donald Trenney, the owner of Karadante's restaurant in Hopewell Township, Beaver County.
The air compressor in Mr. Trenney's workshop was a big hit with the neighborhood children. He would keep bicycle tires inflated and keep their riders in Popsicles and candy, said his daughter, Karen Trenney.
Mr. Trenney was very committed to his children and grandchildren. When Donald Trenney played football in high school and college, his mother and father attended every game.
"You would look in the stands and there would be my mom and dad. They were the first ones there," he said.
Mr. Trenney taught all of his children to dance, Karen Trenney said.
"He loved to dance," even after his injury, she said. "He would always be dancing. From the first song until the band left."
He also loved to bake sugar cookies.
"He was famous for his Christmas sugar cookies," Karen Trenney said.
But Mr. Trenney didn't just bake any sugar cookies — his Santa faces and reindeers were in full color. And he made lots of them. "He would make six or seven batches of each," she said.
Karen Trenney said Christmas was a special time around the Trenney house. In the fall, the family would make its annual pilgrimage to the fields behind the house to scout for Christmas trees. "We always had a big beautiful tree with homemade ornaments and strings of popcorn," she said.
The children would get their own tree as well. "We would always pick one that we thought no one would want. We called it the Snoopy tree," she said.
The family has decided to carry on Mr. Trenney's tradition of making Christmas presents and will keep the woodshop as it is so family members can use it.
The family will receive friends today from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Richard L. Shoemaker Funeral Home, 49 N. Walnut St., Blairsville. Services will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the funeral home with the Rev. Mark Yarger officiating.
TribLIVE
Extreme work ethic drove Brenizer man
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh, PA
Published: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2002,
Whether building houses, installing a new roof, or making doll furniture, Ronald Lee Trenney Sr. loved to work with wood.
His lifelong affinity with carpentry began at an early age. He began working as a carpenter with his father, Anthony P. Trenney, around the age of 8.
It would become even more of a family affair when Mr. Trenney decided about 10 years ago that everyone who came to his home at Christmas would leave with a present. He pressed the entire family into service to help make the gifts — hundreds of them, said his son, Ronald Trenney Jr., a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
"He put the whole family to work. Some of us sanded, some painted," he said. "And every one of the presents was gift-wrapped."
Mr. Trenney, 67, of Brenizer, Derry Township, died Saturday, Sept. 28, 2002, at his home.
"He loved to be in the woodshop. He was always looking for reasons to be in his woodshop," Ronald Trenney Jr. said. "He was a guy who just couldn't come home and sit in the house. He was always doing something."
In addition to woodworking, Mr. Trenney enjoyed the family's swimming pool or working in the garden. During the winter months, he also loved to bake cookies.
Mr. Trenney had an "extreme" work ethic, his sons said. "The more I look back on it the more I understand what he was trying to teach me," said Frank Trenney, an athletic trainer at IUP.
Prior to retirement, Mr. Trenney was employed by Latrobe Steel for 42 years. In 1979, he was injured in an accident at work and lost a foot. "He still worked another 20 years in the mill," Ron Trenney Jr. said.
Mr. Trenney and his wife of 45 years, Antoinette Primozich Trenney, put their five children — three sons and two daughters — through IUP without a single student loan.
"We all came out of school debt-free," said Donald Trenney, the couple's oldest son.
But life at the Trenney house was not all work.
"He wanted his children to enjoy their childhoods," said Donald Trenney, the owner of Karadante's restaurant in Hopewell Township, Beaver County.
The air compressor in Mr. Trenney's workshop was a big hit with the neighborhood children. He would keep bicycle tires inflated and keep their riders in Popsicles and candy, said his daughter, Karen Trenney.
Mr. Trenney was very committed to his children and grandchildren. When Donald Trenney played football in high school and college, his mother and father attended every game.
"You would look in the stands and there would be my mom and dad. They were the first ones there," he said.
Mr. Trenney taught all of his children to dance, Karen Trenney said.
"He loved to dance," even after his injury, she said. "He would always be dancing. From the first song until the band left."
He also loved to bake sugar cookies.
"He was famous for his Christmas sugar cookies," Karen Trenney said.
But Mr. Trenney didn't just bake any sugar cookies — his Santa faces and reindeers were in full color. And he made lots of them. "He would make six or seven batches of each," she said.
Karen Trenney said Christmas was a special time around the Trenney house. In the fall, the family would make its annual pilgrimage to the fields behind the house to scout for Christmas trees. "We always had a big beautiful tree with homemade ornaments and strings of popcorn," she said.
The children would get their own tree as well. "We would always pick one that we thought no one would want. We called it the Snoopy tree," she said.
The family has decided to carry on Mr. Trenney's tradition of making Christmas presents and will keep the woodshop as it is so family members can use it.
The family will receive friends today from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Richard L. Shoemaker Funeral Home, 49 N. Walnut St., Blairsville. Services will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the funeral home with the Rev. Mark Yarger officiating.
Extreme work ethic drove Brenizer man
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh, PA
Published: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2002,
Whether building houses, installing a new roof, or making doll furniture, Ronald Lee Trenney Sr. loved to work with wood.
His lifelong affinity with carpentry began at an early age. He began working as a carpenter with his father, Anthony P. Trenney, around the age of 8.
It would become even more of a family affair when Mr. Trenney decided about 10 years ago that everyone who came to his home at Christmas would leave with a present. He pressed the entire family into service to help make the gifts — hundreds of them, said his son, Ronald Trenney Jr., a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
"He put the whole family to work. Some of us sanded, some painted," he said. "And every one of the presents was gift-wrapped."
Mr. Trenney, 67, of Brenizer, Derry Township, died Saturday, Sept. 28, 2002, at his home.
"He loved to be in the woodshop. He was always looking for reasons to be in his woodshop," Ronald Trenney Jr. said. "He was a guy who just couldn't come home and sit in the house. He was always doing something."
In addition to woodworking, Mr. Trenney enjoyed the family's swimming pool or working in the garden. During the winter months, he also loved to bake cookies.
Mr. Trenney had an "extreme" work ethic, his sons said. "The more I look back on it the more I understand what he was trying to teach me," said Frank Trenney, an athletic trainer at IUP.
Prior to retirement, Mr. Trenney was employed by Latrobe Steel for 42 years. In 1979, he was injured in an accident at work and lost a foot. "He still worked another 20 years in the mill," Ron Trenney Jr. said.
Mr. Trenney and his wife of 45 years, Antoinette Primozich Trenney, put their five children — three sons and two daughters — through IUP without a single student loan.
"We all came out of school debt-free," said Donald Trenney, the couple's oldest son.
But life at the Trenney house was not all work.
"He wanted his children to enjoy their childhoods," said Donald Trenney, the owner of Karadante's restaurant in Hopewell Township, Beaver County.
The air compressor in Mr. Trenney's workshop was a big hit with the neighborhood children. He would keep bicycle tires inflated and keep their riders in Popsicles and candy, said his daughter, Karen Trenney.
Mr. Trenney was very committed to his children and grandchildren. When Donald Trenney played football in high school and college, his mother and father attended every game.
"You would look in the stands and there would be my mom and dad. They were the first ones there," he said.
Mr. Trenney taught all of his children to dance, Karen Trenney said.
"He loved to dance," even after his injury, she said. "He would always be dancing. From the first song until the band left."
He also loved to bake sugar cookies.
"He was famous for his Christmas sugar cookies," Karen Trenney said.
But Mr. Trenney didn't just bake any sugar cookies — his Santa faces and reindeers were in full color. And he made lots of them. "He would make six or seven batches of each," she said.
Karen Trenney said Christmas was a special time around the Trenney house. In the fall, the family would make its annual pilgrimage to the fields behind the house to scout for Christmas trees. "We always had a big beautiful tree with homemade ornaments and strings of popcorn," she said.
The children would get their own tree as well. "We would always pick one that we thought no one would want. We called it the Snoopy tree," she said.
The family has decided to carry on Mr. Trenney's tradition of making Christmas presents and will keep the woodshop as it is so family members can use it.
The family will receive friends today from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Richard L. Shoemaker Funeral Home, 49 N. Walnut St., Blairsville. Services will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the funeral home with the Rev. Mark Yarger officiating.
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