Robert “Treb” Morris McKinnon IV was 13 years old when he died on November 29, 2025, following an ATV accident on a county road outside Decatur, Texas. He was a seventh grader at McCarroll Middle School, a running back and safety for the football team, and by every account from the people who knew him, one of the most magnetic kids in his community.
This isn’t a biography in the usual sense. Treb McKinnon didn’t live long enough to build a public career or a list of achievements the way adults do. What he left behind instead was an impression, on his teammates, his coaches, his teachers, and his family, that people are still trying to put into words.
What Happened on November 29
Treb McKinnon was riding in a side-by-side ATV with friends on the Saturday after Thanksgiving when the vehicle crashed around 4:30 p.m. in the 300 block of County Road 3250, according to Wise County EMS Chief Randall Preuninger. Three other minors were involved. Two were hospitalized, one of them flown to Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, while a fourth had minor injuries and wasn’t transported by ambulance.
Treb was rushed to Medical City Decatur, where, despite what witnesses described as an emergency room packed with people praying for him, he died from his injuries. The Decatur Independent School District notified families that evening, asking the community to hold the McKinnon family “in love and support.”
A Family, a Faith, and a Full Life in 13 Years
Treb mckinnon was born September 19, 2012, the son of Robert “Trey” Morris McKinnon III and Andrea McKinnon. He was an older brother to his sister Jayci and a big brother to his younger brother Cove. His obituary, published through Hawkins Funeral Homes, describes a boy whose faith “shone through in the way he treated others.”
He loved the Dallas Cowboys and Friday night football. Off the field, he was happiest fishing, spending time outdoors, or hanging out at home with his family. Teachers remembered him as respectful and hardworking. Friends knew him as someone who made sure nobody felt left out.
He was also, by his own stated ambition, aiming high. Treb dreamed of one day playing college football for Ohio State, and those close to him said he trained like he meant it.
Treb’s family describes him as a son, brother, grandson, great-grandson, cousin, and nephew who brought energy into every room he entered. He is survived by his parents, his sister Jayci, and his brother Cove, along with grandparents Robert “Bob” Morris McKinnon Jr. and Terri McKinnon, and Doug and Lori White. His extended family also includes great-grandparents Carroll McKinnon, Carol Kirkland, and Nina White, as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins who were named throughout his obituary as people he was close to growing up.
That sense of closeness showed up again at his funeral. Several family members and family friends served as pallbearers, while a group of his young teammates and cousins, including Ryett and Ryder White, stood as honorary pallbearers, a role that let the boys who knew him best take part in laying him to rest.
Treb McKinnon A Personality That Left a Mark
People who spent time with Treb McKinnon, whether in a classroom, on a football field, or around his own dinner table, tend to describe him the same way: energetic, generous, and impossible to ignore in the best sense. His obituary calls him a gifted athlete and a loyal friend who “had a way of making others laugh and feel welcomed.”
That reputation followed him into McCarroll Middle School’s hallways as much as its practice field. Teachers recall a student who showed up ready to work and treated classmates with respect. Coaches remember a kid who never shied away from a tough assignment, whether that meant a new position or a tougher opponent.
Fishing gave Treb a different kind of joy, one his family says he chased just as hard as he chased a football. A good catch at the tank, an afternoon outdoors, or a backyard game with friends rounded out a childhood that, by every description available, was full right up until it was cut short.
No. 4 on the Field
Treb wore jersey No. 4 for the McCarroll Middle School seventh-grade football team, playing running back and safety. His head coach, Bryan Chaney, has talked about the intensity Treb brought from his very first practice.
“There was something different in his eyes,” Chaney said, describing the ferocity Treb played with. Chaney had planned to move him to linebacker the following season. By the coach’s own account, Treb was already the best player on the team.
That number now carries extra weight in Decatur. McCarroll’s athletics coordinator, Bryan Chaney, has said no seventh grader will wear No. 4 again. After Treb’s death, the family was given his framed jersey, folded and sealed, a keepsake of a number the school has effectively retired.
Chaney has spoken about how hard it was to walk into school the Monday after Treb died, knowing what awaited him with a locker room full of grieving kids. He described the team as struggling, adding that processing the loss was difficult even for the adults around them, let alone the seventh and eighth graders who looked up to Treb.
“I couldn’t wait to see him grow up,” Chaney said, reflecting on the player he expected Treb to become. That sentiment echoed across the McCarroll football program in the days following Treb’s death, as teammates, coaches, and staff tried to make sense of a loss that hit the middle of a season already shaped by grief.
A Second Loss in 166 Days
Treb’s death struck a football program that was still grieving. In June 2025, teammate Nolan Christensen, who wore No. 11 and played linebacker on the eighth-grade team, died alongside his sister Sophia in a car crash while the two were on their way to cross country practice. Nolan and Treb played the same position on offense and were both known for a competitive spirit that pulled other kids along with them.
Nolan’s own story adds weight to how deeply this loss has been felt in Decatur. Where Treb built his identity around football, Nolan was primarily a runner, and a fast one. He was the district champion in the 800 meters, a member of a record-setting 4×400 relay team, and part of a cross country squad that won a district title that same season.
Nolan was also remembered for a personality as bright as his race times. Middle school teacher Kimberly Naumann described him as the kind of kid who could light up a room and make sure no one felt left out, a description that echoes almost word for word what people say about Treb. The two boys never shared a roster, but they shared a place in the same small community of Decatur athletes, and now they share a number of matching sorrow.
Losing both boys within 166 days left the school and the wider Decatur community reeling twice over. A marquee sign on the Decatur town square read simply, “Live Like Treb,” in the days after his death, not far from where a separate memorial now marks the intersection east of town where Nolan and Sophia died.
How the Community Has Responded
The outpouring after Treb’s death reached beyond his teammates and classmates. His uncle, Cal White, wrote publicly about the hole Treb’s absence leaves in family gatherings and on the ballfield, describing how Treb’s presence would be felt every time the team stepped onto the field or the stadium lights came on. White closed his tribute with a promise that Treb would never be forgotten, adding that he pictured him now playing the game he loved without limits.
That kind of public grief has become a fixture around Decatur since November 29. Community members have used the town square marquee, social media, and conversations at football games to keep Treb’s name and memory present, even as the football season continued without him.
Treb’s family received visitors during a public visitation on the evening of Thursday, December 4, 2025, at First Baptist Church Decatur, ahead of his funeral service the following morning. The funeral was held at 11 a.m. Friday, December 5, 2025, also at First Baptist Church Decatur, with burial following at Oaklawn Cemetery. Several of Treb’s teammates served as honorary pallbearers, a detail that underscored how much of his short life revolved around football and the friends he made through it.
In the aftermath, the Treb McKinnon Scholarship Foundation was established at Texas Bank in Decatur to carry his name and his love of the game forward for other young athletes. Coach Chaney has said that when Treb was on the field, people simply knew it, and that same sense of presence is part of what the scholarship fund is meant to preserve.
Decatur’s Broader Reckoning With Loss
For a town the size of Decatur, losing two well-known middle school athletes in less than six months is the kind of event that touches nearly every family, whether directly or through a shared classroom, church, or football roster. McCarroll Middle School’s decision to effectively retire both No. 4 and No. 11 reflects how unusual, and how significant, this stretch has been for the athletics program.
Middle school coaches rarely retire jersey numbers, since rosters turn over every year and the gesture is logistically difficult to sustain. Boys athletics coordinator Bryan Chaney has acknowledged that reality directly, saying the decision was not something the program set out to do twice in one year, but felt necessary given the circumstances.
The two families, the McKinnons and the Christensens, have not been reported as related, but their sons’ shared position on offense, similar ages, and now their shared place in Decatur’s collective memory have linked their stories in the eyes of the community. Local coverage has repeatedly framed the two boys together, referring to them by their jersey numbers as much as their names.
Treb McKinnon at a Glance
Detail Information
Full Name
Robert “Treb” Morris McKinnon IV
Born
Treb McKinnon born on September 19, 2012
Died
Treb McKinnon died on November 29, 2025, age 13
Hometown
Treb McKinnon hometown in Decatur, Texas
School
McCarroll Middle School
Sport
Football, running back and safety, No. 4
Parents
Robert “Trey” Morris McKinnon III and Andrea McKinnon
Siblings
Sister Jayci, brother Cove
Legacy
Treb McKinnon Scholarship Foundation, Texas Bank, Decatur
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Treb McKinnon?
Treb McKinnon was a 13-year-old seventh grader at McCarroll Middle School in Decatur, Texas, known for playing running back and safety on the football team and for his warmth toward classmates and teammates.
How did Treb McKinnon die?
Treb died on November 29, 2025, after the ATV he was riding in with friends crashed on County Road 3250 near Decatur. He was taken to Medical City Decatur, where he died from his injuries.
How old was Treb McKinnon?
Treb was 13 years old. He was born September 19, 2012, and died November 29, 2025.
What jersey number did Treb McKinnon wear?
Treb wore No. 4 for the McCarroll Middle School seventh-grade football team. Coaches have said the number won’t be issued to another seventh grader.
Is Treb McKinnon related to Nolan Christensen?
They weren’t related by family, but they were teammates in the same football program. Nolan, who wore No. 11, died in June 2025, months before Treb, leaving the school mourning two players in less than six months.
Is there a scholarship in Treb McKinnon’s name?
Yes. The Treb McKinnon Scholarship Foundation was established at Texas Bank in Decatur to honor his memory and support young athletes going forward.
Where was Treb McKinnon’s funeral held?
Treb’s funeral service took place at 11 a.m. on Friday, December 5, 2025, at First Baptist Church in Decatur, Texas, with burial following at Oaklawn Cemetery. A public visitation was held the evening before.
Who survives Treb McKinnon?
Treb is survived by his parents, Robert “Trey” Morris McKinnon III and Andrea McKinnon, his sister Jayci, his brother Cove, and a wide extended family of grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
What position did Treb McKinnon play?
Treb played running back and safety for the McCarroll Middle School seventh-grade football team. His coaches had planned to move him to linebacker the following season.
A Legacy Still Being Written
Treb McKinnon didn’t get the chance to play for Ohio State, or to grow into the adult his coaches and family believed he was becoming. What he did leave is a jersey number that Decatur has quietly retired, a scholarship carrying his name, and a community that keeps repeating the same phrase: live like Treb. For a town still grieving two of its kids in less than six months, that phrase has become less of a slogan and more of an instruction, one his teammates seem determined to follow.
