Bill Bihler

Sometimes life overwhelms us all. When that happens, a bit of kindness and a pinch of understanding from a stranger can often make all the difference. 

One surefire path to becoming overwhelmed is to discover a tree in your yard that needs to be taken down. While this is a pretty common side effect of homeownership, with costs that can easily reach well into the thousands, it’s something that many of us may not be prepared for. And since it’s also fair to say that the majority of us are not experienced arborists, we really have no way of knowing if those thousands of dollars is money well-spent.

Recently, a member of our team found themselves in this exact position. And after some Googling, they called Beckley-based Trinity Tree Service. 

Owner Bill Bihler came out to the house to inspect the tree. He was knowledgeable, professional, and just an all around nice guy. But then came the bad news – $1,200 to take down the tree. 

While the cost for removal wasn’t necessarily surprising, what came next certainly was; Bill said that the tree probably didn’t need to be removed. A considerable amount of trimming needed to be done to make it safe, and possibly some added support, but the tree could be saved. 

And what’s perhaps most surprising of all, on a job that he wasn’t making any money from, Bill told our team member that he would help trim the tree if other help couldn’t be found. 

Bill Bihler did nothing more than act like an honest and decent guy, but those are qualities that are becoming harder and harder to find. So if those are qualities you find yourself in search of, definitely talk to Bill from Trinity Tree Service. 

For being that honest and decent guy, and for offering a bit of kindness and a pinch of understanding to a stranger, we happily name Bill Bihler as the certified Real West Virginian of the Week.

Have someone you’d like to nominate? Email us at news@therealwv.com.