Kicks for Tim

A beloved soccer coach by many in the Fallon community, Tim Trease received unexpected news earlier this year.

A rare form of cancer, Stage 3 Medullary Carcinoma, was discovered in Trease’s kidney and his organ was removed in April. Unfortunately, cancer was still there and it began to attack Trease’s body aggressively. Five months since being diagnosed and treated, Trease, 50, died in Oak Harbor, Wash., after spending more than a decade in Fallon.

A member of the community who had impacted many on the soccer fields — and more so off the field — Trease’s passion and always-positive attitude never succumbed with his fate. Instead, his fun-loving way of enjoying life to its fullest passed onto others, including Loni Faught and Traci Lewis, who teamed up to organize Kicks for Tim, a soccer fundraiser to honor their friend.

“We’ve been working on it since July,” Faught said of the fundraising efforts. “Tim played a big part in my kids’ lives. He’s the only soccer coach Ava had. He gave her a great love for the game and that she wants to play soccer at BYU.”

Kicks for Tim is open to the public beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Churchill County Regional Park where people can participate in a raffle, which includes many generously donated items from the community, lunch, music and of course, Trease’s traditional kids vs. parents game at 12:30 p.m. All proceeds to go Trease’s wife, Jackie, and their three daughters, Britney, Bailey and Bella.

“He just loved the game. His tradition at the end of every season was to have the parents play the kids,” Faught said. “It was great because all season long, the parents are coaching the kids from the sideline to play harder and faster. They get out there with them and realize it’s not that easy.”

Faught, who’s best friends with Jackie and their girls are also best friends, wanted to help a family who made such a big and lasting impact on hers.

“Living in Fallon with them and them now living in Oak Harbor, the only thing I could do was raise funds for the family and help them not just financially, but emotionally,” she said. “We wanted to have an event to show support for them and their family.”

What started in July as a soccer game to commemorate Trease and keep his after-season tradition alive gradually built into a community force of support for the family. Many businesses have donated items for the raffle, including a Pit Boss BBQ grill and smoker, full-size trampoline with net, birthday party at the fire station with a fire truck ride, mountain bikes, baskets, photo sessions, as well as wood and iron work.

Faught and Lewis were blown away.

“It’s nice to be giving to a family who would do anything for anyone,” Lewis. “It definitely ballooned more than I expected. I know that everyone knows the Treases like I did. I’m surprised how quickly the community came to help. It’s overwhelming. I thought it was just going to be a little soccer game. It’s turned into a full event.”

Like Faught, Lewis and her family knew the Trease family through soccer. Her husband, Jake, coached his daughter’s team and they would face against Trease every season, developing a friendly rivalry.

“Tim always had the team to beat,” she said. “Whenever they coached against each other, there was always this rivalry. He was an honest coach. He was an honest guy who wanted the kids to have fun and love the game and be active.”

As the cancer progressed and Faught and Lewis were aware their friend’s life was nearing the end, it elevated the importance of creating the fundraiser to help the Trease family. For someone who devoted his life to his family and friends and strived to be impactful with the young girls on his soccer teams, they wanted to reciprocate their support through Kicks for Tim.

“Tim was always smiling and always laughing. He had a contagious laugh and smile,” Faught said. “His enthusiasm for life, whether it was hunting, trapping, coaching soccer or watching football, he just made you happy and made you appreciate the simple things.”