Jacob Martin Drahos of Farmington Hills journeyed to his next life late Saturday evening on January 16, 2021. Known to most people as Jack, our dad was happy to join his wife, Dorothy who recently passed on October 2, 2020 after their 66 years of marriage.

Our dad was born at home on November 22, 1931 in Lawrence, New York.  He was the youngest boy of John Drahos and Mary Knottek Drahos. John and Mary had 11 children in total and at an early age dad showed great promise playing football which he parlayed into a college scholarship at the University of Detroit. He played defensive tackle and while at U of D he met and married Dorothy in 1954. Thereafter, dad joined the US Air Force and became a pilot, rising to the rank of lieutenant stationed in Texas, Georgia and South Carolina. Stephen was born in Texas. Thomas and Catherine were born in South Carolina. He told us that after a few near misses in the air, he decided to quit the Air Force and instead become an industrial engineer at General Motors. After relocating to the Detroit area, Carolyn then arrived to complete our family in 1962. Dad worked at the General Motors plant at Willow Run and early in his career stood out as an engineer designing the lay out of the plant in its production of the Chevrolet Corvair in the sixties and later the Chevrolet Nova. Accepting an early retirement, dad joined General Trailer as RV salesman which career he excelled (and enjoyed more than GM!).

 Always an athlete, our dad enjoyed bowling. He almost bowled a perfect game, the memory of which he never forgot. Dad also golfed quite a bit and finished first place in the all ages category at his church league at recently as 4 years ago at the age of 85. Dad told us that this first place finished vindicated the missed perfect bowling game. Socially, Jack and Dorothy had a close circle of very good friends hosting many potluck get togethers and the like.

As the immediate family grew over time, however, he enjoyed his family more and made an effort to make sure everyone was looked after. Words of wisdom were imparted to all his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren over the years in all respects be it emotional, financial or their hockey or basketball game. This advice extended to (i) Stephen and his wife Terry and their two children, David and James, (ii) Thomas (who passed away in 1984) and his wife Marta, (iii) Catherine and her husband Brad Marx (who passed away in 2019) as well as Catherine’s son , Bryan Verdun, his wife Rachel and their children, Kennedy, Carter, and Grayson (iv) Carolyn and her husband, Hugh Larkin and their family, Hannah and Huey.

Dad wanted us to have a celebration of life sometime in April and to make sure invitations were extended to all of his friends and family for attendance. And finally, dad encourages everyone to make a donation to his favourite charity in his memory, St. Jude's Children Research Hospital.

Dad, thanks for all your love, guidance and help over the years. We will dearly miss you.