Drewes, Henry -- 1916 - 2011
DREWES, FREIER, GRAMS, DREWES, STOEN, OTTESON, NELSON
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 6/26/2012 at 15:14:21
Henry Drewes, 94 of Decorah, Iowa died Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at Winneshiek Medical Center from the H1N1 virus, surrounded by his loving family. A celebration of Henry’s life in word and music will be at 2:00 PM Saturday, April 16, 2011 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Decorah where visitation will be from 1 to 2 PM, one hour before the service. Rev. Joan A. Mau will be officiating. A Private Family Inurnment will be held at a later date at Bertha Cemetery in Bertha, Minnesota.
Henry was born Nov. 9, 1916 on a farm near Rolla, ND, the second son of Dietrich and Martha (nee Freier) Drewes. Henry just missed being born in a small log home, as his older brother and sister were, because the family had moved into a frame house not far from the original dwelling his father, a German immigrant, had built when he homesteaded the land some years earlier.
Henry attended Oxford rural school near Rolla up through the 8th grade. He graduated from Rolla High School as the valedictorian, was the last survivor of the Rolla High School, class of 1934. He attended Bottineau (ND) School of Forestry for a time, and then Mayville State (ND) Teachers College where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in education. In the 1950s, he received his Master’s degree in education from the University of Minnesota.
Henry began his teaching career in Edinburg, ND during the 1939-40 school years. A couple years later he took a new job in Bertha, MN. In addition to teaching various math and science classes, Henry directed plays, led Boy Scouts, served as class advisor, fired up the furnace, and took care of various other tasks at school. In those days teaching jobs involved a wide range of responsibilities, and earned him $90 per month.
It was in Bertha, MN that he met his future wife Meta Grams. They were united in marriage on March 7, 1942. His teaching career at Bertha was interrupted by service in the Army during WWII. It was also during WWII that his son John was born. During his training as a combat medic, Henry turned down the Army’s offer which would have sent him to medical school to become an Army doctor. Henry was more interested in resuming his teaching job in Bertha at war’s end.
After the war, Henry became the high school principal at Bertha. In Bertha, a second son, Charles, was born. Later, Henry and family relocated to Henning, MN, and then Floodwood, MN. At Floodwood, he served as High School Principal and later Superintendent, also teaching classes there in addition to his administrative responsibilities. While in Floodwood, daughter Ellen was born. In 1958, Henry and family moved to Mountain Lake, MN, where he served as Superintendent of Schools for 18 years until his retirement in 1976. Twice he was named “Boss of the Year” in that community. While Superintendent in Mt. Lake, he was afforded the opportunity to travel with a group of administrators to Russia, Czech Republic, Finland and Spain, learning about the educational systems in these countries. Following retirement, Henry, Meta, John and Ellen traveled to Montreal, Canada, taking in many events of the 1976 Summer Olympic Games.
Although his profession culminated as an administrator, Henry was, first and foremost, a teacher, and he always viewed himself in that way. Retirement neither sent him to the easy chair nor put him out to pasture, but rather it called him back to teaching. He enjoyed substitute teaching for a time in the Mt. Lake and Windom areas, much of it in special education. He volunteered at the Mt. Lake Public Library and served as a resident aide for three summers at the Worthington Summer Residential Program for mentally handicapped adults in southwest Minnesota. Henry was proud to tell others that while working as an aide, his “boss” was his daughter, Ellen who served as Recreation Director. Twice he was named “Cottonwood County Senior Citizen of the Year” for his volunteerism after retirement. While in Mt. Lake, he served two terms on the city council. Henry was also named Grand Marshal of the city’s summer celebration parade on two different occasions.
It was during retirement that Henry took up bicycling and woodworking, all the while maintaining his interest in gardening. One year, Henry completed 100 miles on his bicycle each week, for 52 consecutive weeks. Being very safety conscious, he promoted bicycle safety by teaching classes at the police department in Mt. Lake, MN. His woodworking specialty was toys, especially trains and cars, which he produced on his assembly line in a tiny basement shop. Some of these toys he sold at craft shows, some he gave away, but his primary interest was to have children play with them. At craft shows, his greatest profit came from visiting with others, rather than the sales. In the summer of 1983, Meta, Henry, and daughter Ellen traveled with a college tour, “In the Footsteps of Martin Luther,” visiting East and West Germany, Austria, and relatives in West Germany.
Henry and Meta relocated to Decorah, IA in 1992 to be closer to their children. In Decorah, Henry continued with bicycling and especially woodworking. He also volunteered at the Decorah Public Library, St. Benedict’s School, as well as the Aase Haugen Nursing Home. A favorite pastime was attending Ellen’s dog obedience classes, where he assisted her in teaching, many times offering her a critique of her methods following various classes. He also enjoyed attending many dog shows with Ellen. When he could no longer bicycle, he took up walking. Henry would often be seen throughout the Decorah area walking, enjoying nature and visiting with others he would meet along the way. During the winter months, he eagerly anticipated his daily walk on the Luther College indoor track, as well as the socialization with others that walking laps afforded him. Henry and Meta were especially proud of their two grandchildren, Thomas and Steffi, always looking forward to family gatherings, where discussions would frequently lead to educational topics, accompanied by show and tell activities.
In November, 2009, Henry and Meta moved into the Arlin Falck Assisted Living Apartments. A short time later, Henry became a resident at the Barthell O.E.S. Nursing Home due to progressing dementia. While in the nursing home, Meta visited him daily, often several times, participating in numerous activities with Henry. A favorite time for Henry and other residents was when daughter, Ellen would bring one of their Standard Schnauzers for a visit. Meta’s love and devotion for her family continues, as she resides in their apartment in assisted living.
Preceding Henry in death were his mother Martha, father Dietrich, older brother Walter and son Charles on July 4, 2005.
He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 69 years, Meta Drewes of Decorah; a son John Drewes (special friend Carol Warfel) of Red Wing, MN; a daughter Ellen Drewes-Stoen (Erik Stoen) of Decorah; a daughter-in-law Jacqueline Drewes of Eaton Rapids, MI; two grandchildren: Thomas Drewes (Anne) of Raleigh, NC and Steffi Drewes of Oakland, CA; and two sisters: Marcella Otteson of Scott City, KS and Margaret Nelson of Huntington Beach, CA.
Memorial funds have been established. Please sign the online guest book and share a memory about Henry.
Source: Fjelstul Funeral Home database
Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Bruce Kuennen.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen