Irvin Joy Drewel loved Eureka and the city loved him.
His children, Mark Drewel and Marla Drewel-Lynch, had to look no farther than the line around the block during his visitation on Sept. 7 at Schrader Funeral Home in Eureka to see what their father meant to the community.
“We estimated about 500 people there,” Mark said. “It was a tribute to what he meant to the community. We really appreciated all of the people who came to honor our father.”
Marla said one thing that stood out to her was the age range of those who came to the visitation.
“It was a range of people in their 30s to elderly,” Marla said. “It wasn’t just an older person who passed away, and most of his friends had already passed away. He was a vibrant person in the community.”
Eureka leaders planned to honor Mr. Drewel as grand marshal of the Eureka Days Parade on Sept. 9, but he died Sept. 4 at St Andrew’s at Francis Place in Eureka. He was 84.
Mark and Marla rode in his stead at the parade as their daughters handed out candy along the route.
“It was an honor to represent him,” Mark said. “People would shout to us, ‘We are going to miss your dad,’ or, ‘He was a great guy.’”
Mr. Drewel was born Dec. 16, 1932, at St. Luke’s Hospital in St. Louis. He was preceded in death by his father: Irvin Ernst Drewel; mother: Agnes Alvira Pauline Lawson; granddaughter: Paige Mangels Drewel; and stepmother: Pearl Ethel Colter.
Mr. Drewel’s father, Irvin Ernst Drewel, was Eureka’s first mayor and a park and street in the town are named in his honor.
Along with his children, Mr. Drewel is survived by Marla’s husband, Tom Lynch, and their son, Heath Lynch, and daughter, Danna Lynch, and Mark’s daughter, Amanda Drewel.
Mr. Drewel graduated from Eureka High School in 1950 and earned a bachelor’s degree from Central Methodist College in 1954. He went on to serve in the Army from 1954 to 1956 and was in the Army Reserves until 1962.
After working for McDonnell Aircraft, Mr. Drewel was a New York Life Insurance agent for 40 years.
Mr. Drewel helped form the Eureka Historical Society and was that group’s first president. He also helped form the Eureka Jaycees, was a member of the Elks and a former Chamber of Commerce president, and a lifelong member of the Eureka United Methodist Church.
“He added historic value of the community,” said Marilyn Leistner, Ward 2 alderwoman and president of the Eureka Historical Society. “He had a long, running memory of many things that happened in the community.”
Mr. Drewel will be remembered for a 1972 Chevrolet pickup he drove around Eureka. Mark said he will continue to use the truck.
“It was so obnoxious,” Marla said of the truck. “He is one of those characters in town who will be missed. People will say, “I miss not seeing him in the truck. I miss him not being around.”
Mr. Drewel will also be remembered for his passion for playing bridge. His children said he was competitive in everything he did and bridge was no exception.
About a year before he died, Mr. Drewel achieved American Contract Bridge League Life Master status, accomplished by earning points in various competitions, Mark said.
“He was so dedicated to playing bridge,” Leistner said. “He traveled all over the United States to different bridge tournaments.”
He also loved to explore, Marla said, and that sense of adventure was passed on to his children.
“He was a vibrant person,” Marla said. “He lived life to the fullest. Pedal to the metal, that was my dad.”
“Life Story,” posted Saturdays on Leader Publications’ website, focuses on one individual’s impact on his or her community.