Alice (Alix) Wild Trewin was born on October 9th, 1928 in Milwaukee, WI and died peacefully on December 18th, 2019 near Redmond, WA at the home that she and her husband of 66 years, Parker, created together. It was a special place and she was a special woman who loved her six boys plus the collection of spouses, grandkids, friends, horses, donkeys, dogs, cats, cows, and crows that landed at the house on the hill.
The daughter of Henry Goetseels Wild and Virginia Calvert Weller Wild, she was equipped with a debutante smile, a twinkle in her eye, joyous laugh, and a tremendous sense of adventure. She sought out others that shared her same zest of living, whether it was under saddle at Foxcroft school, in the gardens at Chateau Haut-Brion, or on the slopes at Chamonix.
Soon after a fatherly ultimatum to “find a job or find a husband” she fortuitously was swept her off her feet by Sydney Parker Trewin of Plainfield, New Jersey who would be her life-time partner and companion. Theirs was a whirlwind romance relegated to Hollywood lore: a chance meeting at the Chicago train station and a three-day ski holiday at Sun Valley, which culminated in her proposal of marriage. Her suitor had the sense to accept and six months later they tied the knot at St. Peters, an idyllic little Episcopal chapel in the middle of a Wisconsin cornfield.
With marriage brought kids with abundance. She had the temerity to have six boys and two sets of twins, in under six years. In that time the burgeoning clan moved from Rochester, NY to Mercer Island, WA and eventually to Rimrock, the 53-acre farm outside of Redmond, WA that she would call home for the rest of her days.
While her husband crafted out-buildings, miles of fencing, and just about anything else, Alix was the general manager of family and stable operations. At Rimrock, she continued her passion for all things equine, active in the founding of the Evergreen Pony Club, which hosted the PNW regional horse rally at Rimrock and neighboring farms in 1972. Insisting that all her sons learn the rudiments of horsemanship, most nonetheless opted for quicker forms of transportation save Todd. Together, they combined their shared passion and drive to team horse and rider who would go on to represent the Pacific Northwest and the country at the Pan American Championships and Barcelona Olympic Games.
Never relinquishing her love of horses, she was happiest in the barn, which often was the cleanest spot on the farm. Housekeeping and cooking clearly were not her forte. In the Trewin household, the breaking of bread was often preceded by the burning of the toast. She was also quite adept at turning “whites” into “pinks”.
Beyond her mix and match philosophy to laundering, she excelled at cleaning tack, sketching horses, drawing up house plans, stalking James Garner shows, rooting the Seahawks to victory, and tackling the latest crossword puzzle. Her complete indifference to fact-based storytelling is legendary.
Most of all, she enjoyed kidding and being surrounded by people who returned the favor. Despite her ailments, she never lost her sense of humor or her megawatt smile, both of which lit up the room until the very end. And, that’s what everyone who knew her will remember most. Her grin and gleam will endure in our collective memories.
She leaves behind a legacy that includes her husband; six children, Corky (Crissy), Scott (Lynn), Chris (Sharon), Todd (Tracey), Jim (Amy), and Parker; her brothers Nelson (Diana) and Henry Wild; thirteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her granddaughter Danielle Wild Trewin and her sister Nina Wild Hayssen.
She was and continues to be cherished. A celebration of her bigger-than-life time on this earth is pending. Donations can be sent in her name to the Washington State Horse Park.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18