John Trewolla, a Prairie Village resident and longtime organizer of Shawnee Mission East’s Lobster Landing fundraiser, has died.
What we know: Trewolla, 75, died Sept. 29 surrounded by his family at his home in Prairie Village, according to an obituary published by the Cremation Society of Kansas and Missouri.
- Trewolla grew up in Roeland Park and graduated from Shawnee Mission North High School in 1964 and went on to earn his master’s in business administration from the University of Kansas, according to the obituary.
- Trewolla founded his own company, Computer Programming Services, and then later worked for international IT company CapGemini before forming Management Analytics Group.
- He is survived by his wife, Shelly, and their two daughters Meredith and Adrienne.
Trewolla’s impact: Later in life, Trewolla may have been best known around northeast Johnson County as the organizer the past 15 years of the Lobster Landing fundraiser, an annual fall event aimed at raising money for international exchange students at SM East High School.
- Trewolla’s wife Shelly told the Post that they initially got involved in the lobster sale — a longstanding SM East fall time tradition dating back decades — because they once hosted four exchange students, two from Germany, one from France and one from Ukraine.
- The Trewollas had also recently started volunteering at The Micah Ministry in Kansas City, Mo., a food program at Independence Boulevard Christian Church, Shelly said.
- Trewolla also used to sell tickets to auction off a gingerbread house made by the former Mely’s Yogurt & Ice Cream in Prairie Village — wearing a bow tie and a Santa hat at the Prairie Village Foundation’s thank you dinner, Shelly said.
- Shelly said her husband was raised to be an involved community member, and she hopes others continue his legacy by seeking out opportunities themselves.
Key quote: “I just think everybody needs to be aware of the fact that the community is always better when the citizens are involved in social and city opportunities,” Shelly said. “The city can’t afford to pay people to run VillageFest or Jazz Fest, it takes a lot of volunteers to do those things.”
Lobster Landing 2022 canceled
Brenda Fishman, a SM East history teacher and the school’s International Club sponsor, told the Post via email that the Lobster Landing 2022 fundraiser, which was originally scheduled for Oct. 22, is canceled.
- Fishman said Trewolla was unable to send out order forms in September like he normally did due to his declining health.
What is Lobster Landing? It is a 50-year-old fundraiser that supports the International Club’s international exchange students.
- Traditionally, the funds earned from Lobster Landing go toward school fees, yearbooks, activity or course fees, tickets to prom and even necessities like winter coats, Fishman said.
- She said in addition to organizing the sale and keeping the list of contacts, Trewolla took charge of the check-in table and greeted customers the morning of the sale.
- “John had a rubber, plastic fish that he liked to bring to the sale,” Fishman told the Post. “He really enjoyed working with SM East students who were finishing the orders — putting live lobsters into bags — and the international students who were helping.”
