C. William "Bill" Drew

Clayton William Drew…

was born on October 28, 1927 to Warren and Maude (Vickerman) Drew at the family farm in Eden Township of Pipestone County, rural Jasper, Minnesota. He was raised on the family farm and attended school in Jasper, graduating in 1946. On January 27, 1951, he was united in marriage to Phyllis Place at the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Benson, Minnesota. Following their marriage, they lived and farmed on the family farm. While farming, he milked Brown Swiss dairy cows and raised sheep. Bill farmed from the time he was 10 until recently, never fully retiring, as well as milking for over 50 years. They continued to live on the family farm in the same house he was born in until Wednesday, December 16, 2015 when he died at the age of 88 years, one month and 18 days.

Bill was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Pipestone, Minnesota where he served three terms as an elder and enjoyed singing in the choir. 4-H was a big part of the Drew family. When Bill’s children were old enough to show sheep in 4-H, he went to school to learn sheep shearing. He and his sons were well known in the area as they sheared thousands of sheep. He was a 4-H leader for the Eden Jolly Juniors 4-H club for over 25 years. He spent many hours with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren showing sheep and Brown Swiss cows at fairs at the county and state level. He enjoyed hunting and gardening; and square dancing with Phyllis.

He is lovingly remembered by his wife of 64 years, Phyllis Drew of rural Jasper; eight children, Mona (Harlan) TenNapel of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Susan Drew of Sioux Falls, Warren (Cheryl) Drew of Centerville, South Dakota, Billie (Ron) Halbersma of Pipestone, Minnesota, Cheryl (Allan) Pederson of Jasper, Wayne (Kimberlee) Drew of Jasper, Judy (Gary) Evans of Pipestone and Bruce Drew of Jasper; seventeen grandchildren; and 25 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; daughter-in-law, Sharla Drew; three sisters, Francis, Eloise, and Ruth; and one brother, Vernon.