Zuehsow, Trent Memorial Scholarship Fund

Donor Fund Story:

Trent was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana to Paul and Suzanne (Ebersole) Zuehsow and was raised in rural LaOtto, Indiana. He attended LaOtto Elementary, Avilla Middle School and East Noble High School. At the time of his death, Trent was a freshman at the University of Evansville, studying engineering.

He was gentle, kind, and easy-going. He was a good listener and was always ready to help someone with problems. Trent was also outgoing and self confident. He enjoyed learning and trying new things and having fun. He was very family oriented as well.

Trent was involved in the Noble County Community. He was very active in show choir and theatre at East Noble. Trent started in theatre as a sixth grader in Peter Pan and in Joseph. He was also involved in every musical throughout high school. He worked hard and was dependable whether he was behind the scenes or performing on the stage. A highlight for Trent was being in involved with “Raise-a-Ruckus at the Apple Festival. He was actively involved in his church, and volunteered at Camp Lutherhaven.

One of Suzanne’s favorite memories of her son was remembering him as the “fix-it-man.” He could always come up with ways to make things work right. When he was 14, Trent helped his older brother build a house. He was the youngest worker but proved to be a very valuable electrician. His mom states, “He practically wired the whole house himself and it passed inspection.”

Another favorite memory of Suzanne’s was seeing the bond that Trent and his older brother Dalen had. Suzanne said the boys had “many good times together” She shared that they liked to go fishing and play computer games.

Suzanne also shared a story about when Trent entered bridge building contests at IPFW his first three years at East Noble. The bridges were made of Popsicle sticks and were tested for design and strength. His bridges won top honors all three years.

Trent was on his way back to the University of Evansville from an East Noble Theatre and Show Choir in Dansville, Illinois, when he was struck by a head-on-collision with a drunk driver who was going the wrong direction on a divided highway. Trent was just 19 when he passed away and had his whole life ahead of him. His mom said he would have probably had a career in a type of design work, because of his creativity. One of Trent’s goals in life was to get married and have a family as well. Trent’s parents started this fund to honor a student who loves choir and theatre as much as Trent did and with every award a reminder is given to the recipient to never drink and drive.