Trevor Reed Arrasmith

Trevor Reed Arrasmith of Austin, Texas passed away on December 20th at the age of 31. He is survived by his father Stephen “Steve” Arrasmith, his mother Margaret “Greta” Reed, his brother Spencer Arrasmith, his cat Bandito, and loving family and friends around the globe.

Trevor was born on December 27, 1993 in Longmont, Colorado — a day he would often find frustrating due to receiving gifts labeled “Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas!” He grew up playing in the fields, trees, and creeks of Boulder County, building tree forts, snow forts, and pillow forts. He developed a genuine love of animals, with “hold a koala” being the first entry on his bucket list. From a very young age, Trevor was never afraid to find and push his limits, so apple picking and tree climbing quickly became his favorite hobbies, requiring only one fire department tree rescue.

His family, friends, and teachers have always commented on his sharp mind, his creative spark, and his bright smile. Ever eager to learn and excel, he set himself on tasks like memorizing over 100 digits of pi or learning Greek in his free time. He skipped straight to upper-level German courses after condensing years of classwork into a single, self-taught summer. Trevor grew up playing every position in soccer before focusing on varsity tennis in high school. He was also a prodigious violinist, though ultimately unsuccessful at hand-carving his own violin.

Trevor graduated from Silver Creek High School in 2012 as covaledictorian and entered the Aerospace Engineering program at the University of Colorado, Boulder. While studying, Trevor worked for Space Grant before landing a year-long internship with SpaceX, and graduated summa cum laude in 2017. Trevor moved to Waco, Texas before relocating to Austin during his seven-year career with SpaceX, supporting Falcon 9 testing and Starlink among myriad responsibilities. Despite, or perhaps thanks to the intense work culture, being surrounded by equally driven and inspiring people made these the happiest years of Trevor's life.

Compelled by a fiercely competitive spirit, Trevor was a highly accomplished ping pong player, rock climber, disc golfer, and rower. His time with the Colorado Crew pushed him to join the Texas Rowing Center and compete in national USRowing events. Trevor’s love of disc golf was the social glue of his friend group, and they frequented PDGA events across the country. He swore off free-soloing after his ascent of the First Flatiron above Boulder, but would go on to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2019 and ascend Long’s Peak numerous times. Trevor did a week-long trek in Patagonia, navigated Glacier National Park by kayak, and biked a substantial portion of RAGBRAI. Some of his more tame adventures took him to Peru, New Zealand, St. Martin, Germany, France, and to his brother’s wedding in India.

Trevor's untimely passing comes as a shock to us all, but his fervent independence and power of will often led him to struggle in silence. This manifested into a downward spiral of his physical and mental health during his battle with Crohn's disease, as he was unwilling to accept help and turned toward a range of unhealthy coping mechanisms. In his honor, please make a conscious effort to openly and transparently work through your struggles, and to support those you love with their own.

Perhaps Trevor's greatest fear was to lead a life of what-ifs and missed opportunities, and so he made sure to make the most of his time with us. Treasure his life and his memory, and may he inspire you to do great things with yours.

For all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these - it might have been.

- John Greenleaf Whittier - Quote saved in Trevor's phone