The Rev. Dr. John D. Trefzger

1923 - 2022

The Rev. Dr. John D. Trefzger

Sept. 4, 1923 - Feb. 15, 2022

BLOOMINGTON - The Rev. Dr. John D. Trefzger, Minister Emeritus of First Christian Church in Bloomington, IL, died on February 15, 2022 at Luther Oaks Retirement Community in Bloomington, IL at the age of 98.

John Dennis Trefzger was born in Peoria, IL on September 4, 1923, the eldest child of C. J. "Joe" and Dorothy (Trockur) Trefzger.

John married Marilyn Wilson of Peoria, IL in Glen Oak Christian Church on June 9, 1946. She passed away August 30, 2010.

Surviving are two sons: James E. (Dorothy) of Champaign, and Robert T. (Connie) of Bloomington; and daughter-in-law Nancy Trefzger also of Bloomington. Their eldest son, Dr. Richard C. Trefzger passed away November 17, 2012. Preceding John in death were his parents; his siblings and their spouses: Joseph, Jr. (Gladys), Thomas (Betty), Mary (Mark) Hurd; and a grandson Paul Trefzger.

John is also survived by five grandchildren: Emily (Juan) Mejia, Sarah Trefzger, and Michael Trefzger all of Bloomington; Amy (Michael) Curry of Portland, OR; and John R. (Jessica) Trefzger of Mahomet, IL. He is also survived by 17 great-grandchildren; and two great-great -grandchildren. Also surviving is his special friend and companion, Donna Sands; as well as several beloved nieces and nephews.

His funeral will be held at First Christian Church of Bloomington IL, starting at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 26, 2022, with the Rev. Dr. Teresa Dulyea-Parker and the Rev. Hank Anderson presiding. Visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m. prior to the funeral at the church. Burial will follow the funeral at Park Hill Cemetery, Bloomington. Arrangements are being handled by Calvert & Metzler Memorial Home.

The funeral will also be live-streamed at this address:

https://www.blmfcc.org/keeping-you-in-the-loop/watch-fcc, as well as on the First Christian Church of Bloomington, IL Facebook page.

Memorials may be made to First Christian Church, 401 W. Jefferson St., Bloomington IL 61701, or to Eureka College, Eureka, IL 61530.

John attended public schools in Peoria, IL and worked in the family business, Trefzger's Bakery, during his high school and college days.

In his youth, John was a noted scholar-athlete, participating in four varsity sports as a high school student at Peoria Woodruff. In 1941 he pitched a perfect, no-run, no-hit, no-baserunners, baseball game in the district playoffs. He was the Salutatorian of his class, and in 2007, Trefzger was honored with Woodruff's Distinguished Alumni Award.

Prior to World War II, Trefzger attended Bradley University, where he majored in Chemistry, and lettered in track for two years as a distance runner. At Bradley, he was a member of the Federation of Bradley Scholars as well as the Sigma Phi Fraternity, and later served as Chaplain of the Varsity "B" Club for over 25 years.

During World War II, Trefzger enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942, serving for four years as an Airplane Engine Specialist in the 4th Combat Cargo Group in India and Burma.

Following World War II, Trefzger enrolled at Eureka College as a pre-ministerial student, lettering in baseball and graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1948. He received a Master of Divinity degree with Honors in 1951 from Lexington, KY Theological Seminary. Student pastorates served during this time were the Bryant, IL and Oxford, KY Christian Churches.

In 1965 Eureka College presented him with an Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree, and in 1977 he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis.

The Rev. Dr. Trefzger served as senior pastor of the First Christian Churches in Waukegan (1951-57) and Bloomington (1957-73), IL, and South Bend (1973-80) and Bloomington (1980-84), IN. He was an Associate Regional Minister of The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Illinois and Wisconsin from 1984 until he retired in 1988. In 2002 he was named Minister Emeritus of First Christian Church in Bloomington, IL.

In retirement, Trefzger served as an interim pastor of seven congregations, and also served as an RV Camp Chaplain in Florida for 13 years, where he was named Pastor Emeritus of the Naples KOA. John also was honored to serve as Protestant Clergy for the local Cursillo Movement over a span of some 15 years.

Trefzger wrote numerous articles for various religious publications and journals. He developed a five-year program for reading the entire Bible that was adopted nationally by The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and in 1977 wrote a book entitled, "Reading The Bible With Understanding", which enjoyed great popularity.

During his ministerial career, Dr. Trefzger served in numerous state and national leadership capacities in The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Dr. Trefzger also served 24 years as a Trustee of Eureka College, seven of which he served as its President. When Trefzger was Board President, future U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan, then Governor of California, served a four-year term as a Trustee of Eureka College.

The Rev. Dr. Trefzger was a life member of Bloomington Lodge #43, and the Scottish Rite Masonic bodies. He was a past Most Wise Master of the Rose Croix of Scottish Rite in the Valley of Bloomington, IL. In 1967 he was honored with the 33rd Degree of Scottish Rite Masonry in Pittsburgh, PA.

For ten years Dr. Trefzger portrayed the role of the Apostle John in the American Passion Play in Bloomington, IL. He was also a Paul Harris Fellow and a 60-year member of Rotary International.

For many years he served on the McLean County Welfare Committee and the executive committee of the McLean County United Community Services. In 1971 he was the United Way fund raising Chairman for McLean County which set a record that year for pledges made and amount of money raised.

Dr. Trefzger was widely traveled, forming and maintaining personal relationships all over the world, having visited over 80 countries on all continents except Antarctica. From 1971 to 1973 Trefzger was a member of the Bloomington-Normal Sister City Committee relating to Asahikawa, Japan. In June of 1973 he and his wife led the first group from Bloomington-Normal to visit the Japanese Sister City since the program began in 1962. The Trefzgers led numerous tours around the world during the 1970's and 1980's with an emphasis on understanding people and cultures while establishing bridges through personal friendships.

Throughout his 65+ years as a Christian Church Minister, the Rev. Dr. Trefzger sought to focus on persons of all ages, races, and station, ministering to their needs in times of both joy and sorrow. During his ministry he recorded over 55,000 pastoral calls. His preaching was always Biblically based, sharing the good news of God's love through Christ Jesus.

The family wishes to express their deep appreciation to the staff and residents of Luther Oaks for all of their special care for John and their many acts of friendship and kindness over the years.