Trey Raihle, 22, was an old soul. He always wanted to be like his grandpa, who took him maple syruping. He liked flannel and cowboy boots, country music, trucks, and being out in nature. To his sister, Alexis, he was always "Little Man," four years her junior but a good 4 feet taller as an adult. 

"At one point, I remember thinking he was an adult trapped in an 8-year-old's body," said Alexis. "He loved his rescue dogs. He lived to tell a good story and embellish it a bit, even if it was about a trip to the grocery store."

Trey thrived in the outdoors. His favorite place on earth was the family cabin located in Bemidji, Minnesota. His greatest joys came from spending time at places that represented family or doing things with family and friends. Working on the Jeep with his dad, building his house with his mom and stepdad, Joe, or planting flowerpots with his sister and his stepmom, Rita "Tweetie" - as long as his family was around him - he was in his happy place.  

Like too many of our community's young men, Trey struggled silently with anxiety and depression. And like many adolescent boys on-the-grow without mature, emotional resources to deal with a mental health issue, he internalized and self-treated with alcohol.

Despite his battle, Trey didn't withdraw. His wit and sense of adventure, including backpacking, trail riding and elk hunting drew people to him. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America and became an assistant scoutmaster at Camp Phillips. He relished time with family and friends and found joy in helping others and working with his hands. He started his own business in Bloomer, Raihle Construction, by age 20.

In 2022, David Raihle, III, "Trey" took his life at age 22.

"Looking back, we could see there was something else, something deeper inside that he struggled with," Alexis said. Attendance at Trey's funeral told the story of someone whose way of feeling good was being in relationship with others."

People we didn't know came to the funeral and told us stories about how he touched their lives," she said. For a family devastated by loss and grief, there was consolation in knowing Trey's legacy would not be defined by his death, but rather his life of grateful and selfless service. "Those people are different because Trey lived. We can't explain how much this continues to mean to us."

Now, the Raihle family is focused on building and directing the Trey Raihle Memorial Fund to support people and causes that were important to Trey.

"We want to honor the gifts and we don't want to narrow the opportunities down too far," said Alexis. "It can change every year. Maybe a young man or woman needs a grant to start a business like Trey did. Maybe it's for a Boy Scout. We know there will be a need for the kind of mental health resources that weren't available to my brother."

The family's ultimate vision is for their donor directed endowment to somehow prevent other tragic losses of beautiful people "gone too soon" one positive experience at a time.