Lifelong Hunters Leave $350,000 to Pennsylvania Wildlife Agency
OutdoorHub Reporters 10.10.13
Pennsylvania Game Commission officials were stunned when they discovered that a local couple had left their entire estate to agency. According to the Tribune Review’s Bob Frye, Joseph and Kay Trempus of Shaler bequeathed everything they owned, amounting to a sum of $349,198, to the state’s wildlife agency.
“They didn’t spend a dime,” said friend and neighbor Ronald Petronio. “Almost every penny [Joseph Trempus] had, and everything that was sold, went to the Game Commission.”
Joseph Trempus passed away at the age of 93 last November, joining his beloved wife who died several years earlier. The two had no children but were lifelong hunters and loved the outdoors. Their extraordinary contribution will be one last “thank you” to the state they loved.
Game Commission officials say that large donations like this are very rare. Contributions from individuals usually top out at $250, but donations of any size are always welcome. The agency plans to use the funds to help pay for a wildlife education center in Pymatuning.
It is something worthy of Joseph and Kay Trempus, who had saved for years to amass such a sum. Joseph Trempus worked as a billboard installer and his wife spent 40 years working for Sears before she passed away. As a tribute to their generosity, the Game Commission will be naming a room in the Pymatuning center after the couple.
