David Trail
Over the years, Moscow businessman David Trail became known for a variety of achievements, community involvement projects and professional endeavors. But only a handful of people knew Trail as a “mall walker.”
Close family friend Nancy Lyle said one of her favorite things about Trail was how he and his wife would stroll into the Palouse Mall at its 8 a.m. opening and walk the mall path with other community members. She admired how Trail kept track of the time and length of his walks and how meaningful it was to him.
“I just loved that about him because you’d think, ‘Dave Trail, a successful businessman, what does he do for fun?’ Well, he walks, he and Suzie walked and did all kinds of fun things,” Lyle said.
Trail, 76, was one of the victims of Saturday’s shooting spree that killed three people and injured a fourth. Community members and friends remembering Trail said behind his businessman exterior, most people knew him as a caring, honest and standup family man.
In addition to building up Northwestern Mutual Insurance’s Moscow branch into the successful business it is today, Trail owned the apartment complex on Third and Jefferson streets where flowers now sit to honor his life. Tenant Paul Cummings said Trail was more than a landlord to him — he was a friend he both trusted and respected.
“He was always generous and had a smile on his face,” Cummings said. “I have an 8-year-old son and he provided some work for my son in the summertime for a little spending money — he was a really caring man.”
Cummings said Trail would always try to help people out in any way he could, even offering Cummings side employment doing maintenance at the complex. He said he last talked to Trail on Jan. 2 and he’ll never forget the heartfelt advice Trail gave him that day.
“I informed him that me and my girlfriend got engaged over the holidays and he just had a big smile and said ‘That’s great to hear,'” Cummings recalled. “He said, ‘If you find the one don’t let them go,’ and I hear that knowing how long him and his wife Suzie had been together it kind of makes you take that into perspective.”
Trail grew up in Moscow and attended the University of Idaho, where he joined Sigma Chi Fraternity and became a lifelong dedicated supporter.
According to William Greene, Sigma Chi alumnus and current house corporation president, Trail was a “good man with a great heart” who remained active in the chapter throughout the years.
Greene said he remembers having barbeques with the Trail family and will miss chatting with Trail about recent events and developments within Sigma Chi.
“He was always really supportive of the chapter, friendly and helpful, and he has given back so much to the organization,” Greene said.
Sigma Chi wasn’t Trail’s only longtime service involvement. Lyle said Trail has been a member of the Moscow Rotary Club for years, and was best known as the member who would get any task done at the drop of a hat.
“Dave was more of a quiet man who didn’t toot his own horn too much,” she said. “But he was a very professional person, which made him great for rotary because everyone could depend on him.”
Lyle said Trail particularly loved working on rotary club projects. She remembers evenings in friends’ garages spent with Trail sorting through truckloads of potatoes for fundraisers each November. She said it is a special memory because it reminds her people “never realize how good things are until you take time to look back and reminisce.”
Lyle said she will always remember the resilient businessman who continuously put family above all else and prioritized everyone else’s happiness before his own.
“The community will not be the same without him,” she said. “He was one of a kind and a great man who will be missed by everyone who knew him.”
Trail is survived by his wife, Suzie, and children Martin, Michael, Roger, Kathy, as well as his eight grandchildren.
Amber Emery can be reached at [email protected]