Raleigh Gene Trembly was born on November 22, 1947 in Chanute, Kansas. He was the oldest son of Gene and Alice. The white-blonde haired little boy was curious from the start and always on the go. He became the older brother of Randy and Tisha. The family eventually moved to the town of Wellington, in southern Kansas. He was known for being the kid to read every book in his school library. Literally every book. He was involved in Boy Scouts and there is a story about a mysterious fire that happened while on a campout and the resulting trees that were replanted by him and his fellow hooligan pyromaniacs. As a boy, he loved to be outdoors fishing and riding his bike around town. In the ninth grade, while high up in the neighborhood treehouse, he met Elizabeth Sarchet who was the babysitter of his little sister. Teenage romance blossomed and on the day of their high school graduation he proposed… the only hitch was when the ring was lost down on the floorboard of the VW beetle he had fixed up and restored. They were married December 19, 1965. By this time, he was already enrolled at Logan Chiropractic College in St. Louis. He worked nights as a janitor and went to school all day to be able to afford the tuition. He even helped a professor build a deck one weekend with a promise to pass a class he struggled in. Their first child Paula came into the world in 1968 while he was still a student. With a young family by his side he was able to graduate from chiropractic college in 1969 and the family decided to move to Topeka. In 1972, Peter arrived on the scene. Pamela followed in 1977. After working for his mentor, Dr. Rex Wright, he then had practices in the hospital district of Topeka and in Carbondale, and then back to a long stent in Topeka at 29th and Burlingame. In 1993, he moved his practice to become the “Country Doctor” in Wakarusa where he practiced until retiring in 2015. Dr. Trembly was very busy at the office helping people and forming relationships that would last for many decades. He was a member of the Healing Arts Board and the Kansas Chiropractic Association in various leadership roles. He received many accolades and was one of the first chiropractors to practice acupuncture in the state of Kansas after being trained by his beloved mentor, Dr. Richard Yennie, in the early 1980’s. Over 46 years, he improved the quality of life for thousands upon thousands of people. He was handy from the start, and could fix just about any car or build just about anything. He often pulled out “just the right part” because he saved every scrap that could be used again and he could repair just about anything with a zip-tie, an old hanger, and some duct tape. He constantly had a car project he was working on and sure adored that candy red 1972 Cadillac Eldorado convertible and his kelly green 1971 Porche 911 Targa. Raleigh was a member of the Wakarusa Presbyterian Church for around 50 years often serving as an elder on the session. He could be seen every October at the Ham and Bean Feed stirring the cast iron kettle while it simmered over the open fire in the church parking lot. Raleigh was also an adventurer. Several bicycling trips across the state of Kansas, Colorado, and Wisconsin. He was one of the first windsurfers in the state who also showed his skills under the Golden Gate Bridge, at the Hood River, and in Hawaii. He was a pretty awesome grandpa who taught kids all sorts of useful things like building treehouses, how to canoe the Wakarusa River, and how to pick the perfect flavor of snowcone. He was a big softy for animals, and what were brought in as strays by his wife and children often quickly became his faithful companions. Not a day would pass that you wouldn’t see him walking one of his trusted Labradors up Jordan Road. Otherwise, you would find him in the stacks of shelves of the Topeka Public Library every single week scouring the new book section to see if there was, by chance, a book he had not yet read. To know him was to love and adore him because he was a kind and gentle man. We are devastated and gutted to have lost him, but the stroke that he suffered late in 2019 was one thing that he just couldn’t fix or repair. Raleigh Trembly passed away on September 1st, 2023 at Brookside Retirement Community in Overbrook where he had loving care for the last years of his life.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, of Wakarusa. His children, Paula Salts (Scott) of Topeka, Peter Trembly of Wakarusa and Pamela Kendall (Jud) of Keller, Texas. His grandchildren, Joseph Salts and Courtney Salts of Topeka and Marley, Nash, and Saylor Kendall of Keller, Texas. Great grandchildren Dylan Soza, Rylee Salts, Carter Salts and VaChi Triplett all of Topeka. He has a brother, Randy Trembly (Vicki), of Topeka and a sister, Tisha Toone of Kansas City and several nieces and nephews and other family who loved him dearly. He was preceded in death by both of his parents.
Prior to the memorial service, the family will receive friends from 9:30 am until the service begins at 10:30am Tuesday morning at the church.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to the Wakarusa Presbyterian Church, Topeka Public Library or the general student fund at Logan Chiropractic College.
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