Donor Legacies
Gift of a Lifetime.
Cecil B. and Ocie Trefz
Mrs. Ermaline Hannum and Mrs. Luella (Lu) Wittenmyer established the Cecil B. and Ocie Trefz Memorial Scholarship in memory of their parents. The scholarship is given each year to a graduating senior from Peebles High School, who plans to major in education or health services and shows financial need. The first recipient was chosen in the spring of 2004.
This scholarship commemorates the lives of Cecil and Ocie Trefz.
Cecil B. Trefz, youngest son of John and Elizabeth Trotter Trefz was born November 9, 1892. He attended the Cincinnati School of Embalming and was an undertaker in the Peebles area for over 35 years.
Ocie Thoroman Trefz, daughter of William and Lizzie Seaman Thoroman was born March 15, 1892. Ocie attended Normal Teachers College at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and taught for several years in the West Union area before marriage.
On June 3, 1915, Cecil and Ocie married and soon started their family. They raised three daughters, Ermaline Elizabeth, Margaret Marie and Kathryn Luella in Peebles where they were active members of the Peebles United Methodist Church . All three of their daughters graduated from Miami University with teaching degrees.
Ocie was president of the Ladies’ Aid and was a teacher in the girls’ Sunday School class for a number of years. She was active in the Peebles Parent Teacher’s Association, helped in the establishment of the new public library through membership in the Peebles Magazine Club and was Worthy Matron in the Eastern Star.
Cecil had an automobile repair shop in his younger years and was helpful to friends and neighbors with his plumbing and mechanical skills. He belonged to the Masonic Order and Scottish Rite, served on the Peebles School Board and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Farmers Bank where he was Vice President and President, and he served on the Board of Public Affairs when the village of Peebles first received potable water and sewage treatment. In addition, Cecil was an avid fisherman and enjoyed a love of fishing his entire life.
After retirement, Cecil and Ocie resided at 149 High Street in Peebles, Ohio. They had a vacation home in the winter at Punta Gorda, Florida, where they entertained family and many Adams County friends.