Obituary of Donald Harrington Drew, Sr.

Donald H. Drew Sr. of Edmonds, WA, passed away at the age of 79 on November 19, 2008 due to complications from recent cancer treatment. He was a consummate Northwesterner; a Dawg and an active outdoor enthusiast who continued to enjoy skiing in Colorado and hiking in the Pacific Northwest up through the last year of his life. In his younger years, he played drums, painted, ski-bummed a winter in Sun Valley, worked a summer mining in Colorado, and always loved his model trains.Don was born June 13, 1929 to Donald R. and Demerise E. Drew, and traced his roots in the Northwest back to his great grandfather, Mike Drew, who settled in Port Gamble, WA in 1861. Don attended high school at Seattle Prep and later at New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, NM. He subsequently attended the University of Washington, pledged Delta Kappa Epsilon and obtained two bachelor degrees (Sociology and Engineering). Between degrees, he also served during the Korean War as a first lieutenant and platoon leader with a U.S. Army anti-aircraft battalion in Puson, Korea.In the early 60s, he spent seven years with Hexcel Corp. in Berkeley, CA, before returning to Washington in 1966 to live in Edmonds. As a lifelong model railroad hobbyist, he followed his dream by purchasing Pacific Fast Mail (PFM), an importer and distributor of fine brass scale-model locomotives. He ran PFM from 1966 until the present day, importing unique train models, manufacturing locomotive sound systems and publishing high-quality books valued by railroad fans everywhere. He will be greatly missed by his two sons, Don Jr. (Annie) and Sean (Rene), one granddaughter, their mother Karen, many close friends near and far, as well as the model railroad community. We loved his kind humor and his great story-telling; he was a generous host, always willing to take the time to give a tour around his offices to visiting train enthusiasts, both young and old. A service will be held at Seattle Preparatory Chapel, 2400 11thAve. E in Seattle on Saturday, Dec. 6th at 1:00 pm.Arrangements: Becks Funeral Home, Edmonds, 425-771-1234.