CURRENT CELEBRATIONS

Edwin “Ted” Trill

He lived in the details; whether Ted was under the hood of a myriad of street rods, meticulously redoing a grocery store shelving for Shop Rite, or explaining the precise nuances of a story you’d already heard three times, Ted didn’t do anything halfway. He was a Philadelphia union carpenter by trade, but a “mechanic of life” by nature—a man who could fix just about anything if you gave him enough time and a little bit of peace.
To meet Ted was to eventually be invited into the “Ted Trill Intersection.” He’d start a story about a car parts run, take a sharp left into a memory about a 1970s car show in Timonium, and somehow meander back to the original point fifteen minutes later. He claimed to be an introvert, yet he possessed a magnetic pull that kept people in their seats—mostly because he hated when anyone tried to walk away mid-sentence.
Ted’s aesthetic was High Octane. He was a lifelong member of the National Street Rod Association and lived for the weekend of the York car show. His DVR was a digital shrine to Car Shows: Fast and Loud, Texas Metal, and Barrett-Jackson. He believed a garage was for projects, not for parking—his wife Grace’s car made it inside exactly once, and only because of a snowstorm. He lived by the “80% Rule”: he’d get a car 80% finished, sell it for something new and start the beautiful, frustrating process all over again.
Though he was a Delco boy at heart (East Lansdowne), he spent the last 26 years in Woolwich, creating a life that revolved around family, Delco neighbors, and the shore at the Driftwood Campground. He wasn’t a strict father—he preferred to let Grace be the enforcer while he provided commentary. He was one of the founders of Kingsway Youth Lacrosse and coached his son, Sam. Sam’s friends call him Coach to this day. Though he lived in a sea of green, Ted was a lifelong Cowboys fan. The suffering of games with Eagles Season Tickets as a kid made him a Dallas fan. Never the fair-weather type, he’d stick with them through thick and thin.
Though he’d be the first to tell you he was an “awful” surfer, he loved the water. He helped resurrect the sport in his family, watching with quiet pride as his son Teddy turned it into a craft, and later, as his grandkids took to the waves. Nothing made him smile harder than seeing his grandson Evan enter the trades; Ted valued the education of the hands as much as the mind.
Ted was lifelong friends with a pretty girl named Grace. The two would share a 35-year marriage. He is survived by his children, Jennifer (Matt) Trill Campbell, Michael (Colleen) and Sam; his sisters Mary Kay (Bill) Bowden and Sue Dargan; and 6 grandchildren, Evan, Liam, Tye, Violet, Katie, and Charlie. He was predeceased by his son, Edwin W. Trill Jr.

Come celebrate 71 great years Wednesday June 24 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. A second visitation will take place Thursday from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM, followed by a service at 11. In lieu of flowers donations to the American Cancer Society, directed to Lansdowne Versus Cancer (must write Lansdowne vs. Cancer in memo line) will be appreciated. Checks may be mailed to Bill Stevenson, 120 Rhodes Avenue, Collingdale, PA 19023.