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Though he had distinguished himself as a flight paramedic with the Maryland State Police Aviation Command, friends and family remember him as a man who led a passionate and full personal life.
Capt. Daniel Cornwell, assistant commander of the Aviation Command, said Triebel's dedication to his job extended beyond wanting promotions or praise.
"Tobin was never a person who needed the limelight," Cornwell said. Instead, he was constantly trying to promote and recognize others around him for their hard work, he said.
Triebel, 39, of New Market, was killed Nov. 7 while jogging in Hillsboro, N.C., where he was vacationing with family. He was struck by a tree-trimming truck while jogging on a rural road, and taken by helicopter to the University of North Carolina Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill, where he died, according to State Police.
He is survived by his wife Susan, and daughters Hanna, 16, and Erika, 13.
Julian Reading, a member of Triebel's rugby team, the Frederick Rugby Club, said at the funeral that there were few dry eyes in a room full of police and athletes. "There are a lot of very tough men in here finding it very difficult not to cry," Reading said.
He added that Triebel's dedication to the rugby club was so total that he would play in any position or fill any function his team needed, even working around his busy schedule with the State Police.
Reading, who knew Triebel for more than 15 years, said that Triebel was a great player in every team he was a part of: his family, his friends, and the State Police.
"I want to tell you what an honor and privilege it was to have been on Tobin's team," he said.
While many of those who spoke at the funeral highlighted Triebel's sense of humor, his aggressive rugby playing style, or dedication to duty, his mother, Carolyn Triebel, remembered him as a gentle, quiet young boy who wanted nothing more than to be a ballet dancer.
Carolyn Triebel said that she could see her son's childhood love of the performing arts and especially dance in the way he played rugby later in life. "It's hard for you to imagine," she said.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the MFPA Triebel Trust, P.O. Box 547, Cumberland, MD 21501-0547, for his daughters' education.
Read more in Thursday's edition of The Gazette.
