Trebor Billiter

[Jeff Lytle]

I just recieved an email from Greg Hall informing me Trebor passed away on the 15th:

Hi Jeff,

I hope this finds you and your family all doing well! I’d love to catch up with you sometime.

I just learned about this sad news and thought you would want to know and be able to communicate it to the racing community… Trebor Billiter passed away on October 15th. He had just lost his mother, Katie, in August as I found out when looking for information on Trebor. My wife Shirley and Trebor knew each other all the way back to elementary school and we got a call from one of her school mates with the news. I was actually out with Trebor the night I met Shirley way back in 1979. We lost touch over the years but I heard that being on the water was still a big part of his life as he was an avid sport fisherman. Time sure has a way of slipping by.



Here is the little bit of information I found about the service…




TREBOR J. BILLITER

Obituary







TREBOR J.
BILLITER, 56

LAKELAND - Trebor J. Billiter, 56, died 10-15-12 of heart failure. Visit: 10-11am Sat at Lakeland Funeral Home. Svc. 11am. Interment in Lakeland Memorial Gardens.




Published in Ledger on October 17, 2012

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Very sad to hear the loss of Trebor. I can't remember exactly when I first met him. but it was sometime around 1972 or 73 I think. He was a great guy. At least one of his hydro's was named "Heavy Hauler". Bill and Katie stormed onto the scene helping in everyway they could. They helped not only Trebor in his boat racing career, but they helped the boat racing community so much and were so enthusiastic that it wasn't long before Bill was refereeing and Kathy scoring. They were still leaders of Region 5 when I quit racing and did it for a long time. Sorry to hear of Katie's passing as well. My Dad and I enjoyed the company of the Billiters everytime we were around them, and they were part of the national circuit, so we got to see them quite often in the 70's and early 80's.

God Bless Trebor's family and rest in peace Trebor.

[Guy]

This is very sad news. He was a great guy, and I always liked watching Trebor race 500 Hydro back thru the 70's & early 80's. Always seemed like a hard & tough driver.

I can remember one particularly interesting & somewhat funny race at Leesburg (around 78'). The 3 min gun fired and Trebor immediatly left the pits, to which he then also immediately conked out in the middle of infield. So while he was sitting in the boat waiting for the race to start & finish, I guess he figuered he might as well release the pressure in the Fuel Tank. So he would try to reach back and grab/loosen the Fuel Tank cap, but each time he did he'd almost sink the back of the boat. You could see he'd keep trying to get as much of his body to the front of the boat, while still trying to reach back to grab the fuel tank cap (without sinking the boat). This went on for like a minute or two. He finally just gave up and turned back around in the boat. To which you could see he then wanted to relax a bit, so he leaned back in the boat and a second later all we could see was 2 pickles sticking up out of the water, and a few seconds later Trebor popped up out of the water behind the boat. After the race they towed him back to the pits and we helped him lift the boat out. I remember he laughed saying thats the first time a Fueltank Cap ever caused him to sink. So the first thing he wanted to do was finally loosen that stupid Fuel Tank Cap/pressure. He got pretty pissed when he found the cap was never tightened (hense why he conked out right away in the infield). To which Henry Shakeshaft said "Hey Trebor, 'GYST' ". (that was his Team name)...

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

I just recieved an email from Greg Hall informing me Trebor passed away on the 15th:

Hi Jeff,

I hope this finds you and your family all doing well! I’d love to catch up with you sometime.

I just learned about this sad news and thought you would want to know and be able to communicate it to the racing community… Trebor Billiter passed away on October 15th. He had just lost his mother, Katie, in August as I found out when looking for information on Trebor. My wife Shirley and Trebor knew each other all the way back to elementary school and we got a call from one of her school mates with the news. I was actually out with Trebor the night I met Shirley way back in 1979. We lost touch over the years but I heard that being on the water was still a big part of his life as he was an avid sport fisherman. Time sure has a way of slipping by.



Here is the little bit of information I found about the service…




TREBOR J. BILLITER

Obituary







TREBOR J.
BILLITER, 56

LAKELAND - Trebor J. Billiter, 56, died 10-15-12 of heart failure. Visit: 10-11am Sat at Lakeland Funeral Home. Svc. 11am. Interment in Lakeland Memorial Gardens.




Published in Ledger on October 17, 2012




As others have posted, Eileen and I were very sad to learn of Treb's passing. He was a really neat person to be around as were both his parents, and we always enjoyed his company and having a beer with him after the races and also attending Bill and Katie's parties/get togethers at their home when they put on the spring race in Lakeland.

One of the absolutely most memorable 500 Hydro races I ever witnessed, (and I am sure others that were there also feel the same) was a National Championship on Lake Parker in Lakeland Fl., in the early 1980's, where Treb won the Championship in 500 Hydro. As has been alluded to, Treb was a "big man". I have no idea of his weight but he must have been at least 250+ plus in racing trim. He said several times that John Yale had told him not to sell his Yale Hydro to just anyone when he was ready to quit racing, as it had so much lift built into it for his body weight, that it would probably go to the moon with a person of average weight.

Trebs' main competition at this time, as was everyone else's, was Danny Kirts, and Danny's competitiveness needs not be explained or retold to anyone who witnessed his racing during that time frame. To make a long story short, Treb did what very few had done before or since, and the only way to describe that Championship drive by Treb was to simply say that Danny had a driving lesson administered by Treb the way few have ever done before or since, if anyone, except for Treb while winning his championship.

From motor/boat/prop and setup performance (they were both running Konigs and Danny had few peers in motor building and boat setup) to getting his lane and keeping it from the time the gun fired to go out on the course, and also during the race, Treb was perfect in his driving and boat and motor performance, and was rewarded with the National Championship for that year. I am sure Danny knew when that race was over he had met his match, which happened very rarely during this time frame, as he usually dominated the 500 Hydro class.

We saw Treb very rarely after he stopped racing, but when we did he was always the same happy person to see and be around. It was really a shock to have Todd Brinkman call and tell us of his death, as it always is when you hear this about someone in in the prime of life as Treb was age wise.

RIP Treb.

[Danny Pigott]

I have the 500 Yale Hydro that Bill is talking about, it was the last boat that Trebor had and is the one that he won the Championship with. I bought it from him in 1984 and as Wayne said it has the name Heavy Hauler IV on it and # F-8. It still looks just the way it did when I bought it and is in great condition. With the black cockpit cover on it is a great looking boat. I only ran it about 3 times and it was a rocket ship with the new Konig I was a little concerned about it because of my weight about 180 but it ran 110 mph with no problem and never ran to high . One morning at the Motel in Fla. Jeff Huthins told me he had seen it get up with Trebor in it and said you know what it will do with you but I never had a problem with it but was very careful. I don't think there are to many Yale's still around.

[Jeff Lytle]

I think a few pics of the boat would be a fitting tribute Danny.

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

I think a few pics of the boat would be a fitting tribute Danny.




......and some pictures of Treb's Yale would be great, not only as a tribute to him, but also there are not that many pictures of Yale hydro's prominent on BRF, at least not that I have seen yet, compared to others from that same time frame.

John built some very good boats that were also very competitive, but just not in the numbers that Tim Butts managed, and perhaps that is the reason for lack of pictures, and also conversation.

If there is not a thread on John Yale, it would seem to be a loss for PRO boat racing at least. I heard he built some stock boats also, but never saw any compete or knew anyone that had one.

[Jeff Lytle]

The one of him racing the 500 Yale are from contact sheets made by Wayne in his "Amazing Story" thread, the other, is from Trebor's obit.5308953090

[Danny Pigott]

I will try an take a few pic's of it. It is stored in a 24 foot trailer with a butts and a Pugh and who knows what else I will try and get some help to get it out.I feel bad that don't have a pic of it Mrs Billiter came to Jesup GA to score every race and that was just a few years ago. One day I told her that I still had Trebors Yale and she wrote down her address and ask me to send her a pic of the boat but I never did due to it being in storage and I could not get to it