LOUISVILLE, Ky.

Shelley Trimble, 56, beloved mother, teacher and pediatric physical therapist, died peacefully in her sleep Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016, following treatment for metastatic breast cancer.

Shelley had a gift for connecting with young people and spent her 34-year career passionately advocating for children with disabilities and their families. She helped found the Bloomington Hospital Children’s Therapy Clinic in Bloomington and later spent 13 years with Children’s Medical Services of Florida, serving children and families of all income levels. She also lectured at the University of Florida’s department of physical therapy.

Most recently, she was a part of the clinical and research team at Kosair Charities Center for Pediatric NeuroRecovery at Frazier Rehab Institute, a groundbreaking rehabilitation program that uses an activity-based therapy called locomotor training to restore and improve motor function — including the ability to take steps — for patients with spinal cord injuries.

As a pediatric rehabilitation and research physical therapist on the team, Shelley was instrumental in adapting this therapy for children. A warm, funny person with a youthful and joyful heart, she was well-known among patients, friends and colleagues for her sense of humor and imaginative “Shelley-isms” — puns, stories, silly songs and turns of phrase that she seemed to invent on a daily basis.

Survivors include her daughter, Jessica of Austin, Texas; son, Lucas of Louisville, Kentucky; mother, Patricia Huber Burns of Seymour; sister, Sandra (Jim) Mellencamp of Seymour; brother, Scott (Barbie) Huber of Brownstown; loving in-laws, nieces and nephews; and the dear friends who were a part of her chosen family.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Mark Trimble, and her father, Richard “Bud” Huber.

A memorial service and celebration of Shelley’s life will be in Louisville this week.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Shelley A. Trimble Fund for Pediatric NeuroRecovery, University of Louisville Foundation, 215 Central Ave., No. 300, Louisville, KY 40208.