Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Sadly, 29jan2024 was my dad's last day with us. Reinhold Eldor Drews was 91 years old.
The last few years were difficult for him as he lost his ability to walk, and his mind became more and more confused and clouded due to small vessel disease (SVD), which was diagnosed in 2011. Unlike what happens with other forms of dementia, he always recognized me, even during my most recent visit to Rochester, at the end of December 2023.
I was fortunate to have had him as my dad. He was a very bright, curious and knowledgeable person. It was remarkable that he obtained a PhD in Physics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1962 in the face of very significant obstacles and adversity (as a child, his German speaking family fled from an area near Warsaw, Poland to northern Alberta, Canada where they worked in dairy farming). Yet he was always humble about his achievements and education and preferred not to be addressed as 'Dr Drews' - just 'Ray Drews'.
His education allowed him to work as a research scientist at Xerox for many years where he made contributions in areas of xerography and inkjet printer technology. He enjoyed this work and the people with whom he worked. Occasionally, he would go back to work after normal working hours and bring me along with him. It was neat to see the mysterious state-of-the-art instruments and tools he used for his research.
He was an early adopter of new technology, inventions, and gadgets and would share and explain things to me. I'm pretty sure we were the first family on the block to have a high-end component stereo system, central A/C (installed by him), color TV, VCR, Apple computer, ... .
There were times I needed his help in school, and he was always willing and able to get me back on track. I attribute a good portion of my fortunate circumstances and success in life to him and his guidance. Of course, as a kid I had no clue of the parental privilege (both mom and dad) into which I was born - I just assumed this was normal.
I am very thankful for the time I was able to spend with him and that his long illness was relatively kind to him (and us). He was never in pain, nor was he overly upset or angry about what was happening to him. Together, we enjoyed many hours remembering things we did together (sometimes prompted by my numerous pictures and videos that were displayed on his digital picture frame) while watching car shows on TV and enjoying the ice cream I would bring from the Pittsford Dairy.
I will miss him so much. Wayne Drews
