Obituary: Drew, Kenneth I.

DREW,
Kenneth I.

Kenneth I.

Drew, 95, of Spokane, passed away on April 27, 2016.

Ken was born on May 21, 1920, in Portsmouth, NH.

He was the second of eight children born to Harry and Alta Drew.

After leaving school during the Great Depression, he worked at various jobs until going to work at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

He left the shipyard when he entered the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1942.

After basic training in Wyoming, Ken was stationed at Geiger Field.

At Geiger, he met the love of his life, Ruth Crockett, a native of Orofino, ID, who was working as a civilian employee at Geiger.

Ken and Ruth were married on September 25, 1943, at Central Methodist Church in Spokane.

Ten days after their wedding, Ken was sent to Europe, where he served for over two years, attached to the Eighth Air Force headquarters, before returning to the U.S. in December of 1945.

Ken and Ruth settled in Spokane, where they had lived ever since.

They were married for 72 years, until Ruth’s passing on December 17, 2015.

Ken spent many years working as a letter carrier for the U.S.

Postal Service, until retiring in 1978.

Ken was active in the labor movement and was a proud member of Branch 442 of his union, the National Association of Letter Carriers.

He served as the Financial Secretary of the branch and was many times a delegate to state and national conventions of the NALC.

After retiring, he served for many years as the retiree representative at Branch 442.

He served as a member of the Supervisory Committee of Progressions Credit Union (formerly the Spokane Postal Credit Union) for over 35 years.

Ken’s first love was always his family.

Ruth and his children, Bill and Betty, meant the world to him, as did the grandchildren and great-grandchildren who came along to brighten his life.

His warm smile and genuine concern for others made him an instant friend to all who met him.

Ken was preceded in death by Ruth, by his parents, and by six of his seven siblings (Russell Drew, Millie Cook, Bernice Morris, Bertha Patterson, Phil Drew, and Ralph Drew).

He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, William and Mary Drew of Spokane; by his daughter Betty Phillips of Harlowtown, MT; by three grandchildren, Keith Swett of Spokane, Heather White of Parker, CO, and Wendy Lambach, of Forest Grove, OR; by five great-grand- children; by his brother Roland Drew; and by many nieces and nephews.

A joint memorial service will be held for Ken and Ruth on June 21, 2016, at 11:00 a.m., at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 4320 South Conklin, Spokane.

The service will be followed by lunch and a reception at the church.