Theodore “Ted” Trople, 81, of Toledo, Washington, passed peacefully at home on March 26, 2026.
He was born Jan. 28, 1945, in North Bend, Oregon, to Joseph “Ted” and Doris Trople. After a few years in Montana following his father’s Coast Guard service, the family settled in Kelso, Washington, in 1952. Ted graduated from Kelso High School in 1963, where he was active in 4-H and FFA, developing a lifelong love of farming and raising cattle.
On Jan. 17, 1966, Ted married Lexie Wise. The following month, they moved to the farm in Toledo that he cherished for the rest of his life. Together, they raised their three children there and built a life centered on family, hard work and the land.
Ted worked at Weyerhaeuser before beginning a long career at Reynolds Aluminum, where he worked his way from pot tender to crane operator and served as a union shop steward along the way. After 32 years, he “retired” — at least officially. Just three weeks later, he purchased his first stock trailer and began hauling livestock for local farmers, a job he truly loved. Over the years, he logged more than 500,000 miles on the road.
Ted is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Lexie; his daughters, Korina Reisbeck (Thomas Bishop) and Tracy Trople; his six grandchildren, Jonah Trople, Tori Holt (Scott), Kassi Reisbeck, Josie Hark (Arlo), Addie Barker and Maggie Barker; and his five great-grandchildren, Tula and Lux Trople, Ashton and Anders Holt, and Ammi Hark. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Doris Trople; his brother, Gary Trople; and his son, Dallas Trople.
A celebration of Ted’s life will be held at the farm on July 12 at 1 p.m., after the hay is off the fields — just the way he would have planned it. Donations may be made to the Toledo Scholarship Fund in memory of Dallas Trople, P.O. Box 524, Toledo, WA 98591.
