Obituary
Edward "Ed" Thaddeus Draus
Ed Draus passed peacefully surrounded by his wife and two children on July 31, 2025, in Neenah, WI. Ed was born to Ted and Hassie Draus on May 25, 1951, in Bluefield, West Virginia. The family moved to Lebanon, Ohio when he was two which influenced the rest of his life as a true country boy. Ed was a child that could be found climbing trees, bothering the farmer down the road, and exploring the forests around their house as much as daylight would allow.
In high school he was an avid reader of Scientific American which led to him being kicked out of math for a semester. Upon graduating from Lebanon High School in 1969 and with a passion for planes, Ed enlisted in the US Navy where he served as a naval aviation electrician from 1970 to 1975, honorably discharged as an AE2.
Ed and Louise were married in 1975 in the church where they first met in CA. After the ceremony, their first venture together was a move to Texas. This was the first of many moves over their nearly 50 years of marriage. Ed's spirit of curiosity landed him jobs at NASA through Lockheed Martin, Arco Pipeline where he was honored with two U.S. patents for CO2 pipeline controls and calibration, Enterprise Products, and finally a part time job as an inspector with TUVSUD after his so-called retirement. These career moves also meant expeditions in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and a final return to Texas. Equipped with his coveted GPS and his "special" maps, the roads provided infinite possibilities where he could make a 20-minute trip back from the grocery store last 2 hours.
Ed loved the outdoors whether it was by land, air, or sea. He and Louise travelled to all 50 states, and they were looking forward to another Alaskan cruise in 2026, his favorite U.S. state to visit. Ed's two children were hooked by his sense of adventure through snow skiing, gold mining, hunting, and traveling to the far ends of Asia. He served on the La Veta, Colorado Fair Board in the 1980's and his regard for animals meant there was rarely a cat, dog, or horse he couldn't win over.
Ed was a member of First Baptist Church, Brenham where he volunteered on the Technical team for over 10 years. He held a special interest in serving with construction projects in Navajo missions in New Mexico and church building projects in Piedras Negras, Mexico, and was instrumental in the installation of sound systems in 3 different churches. Ed was a giver with many of his close friends never knowing the people he had helped throughout his life, whether with gas money, a tow out of a snowbank, or moving across states. The countless stories of his life's adventures will be missed.
Ed is survived by his wife, Louise Draus, of Brenham; children, Brian Draus and Leanne Draus, both of Lubbock, Texas; his two sisters, Marie (Robert) Rainey and Gloria Spurlock; cherished cousins, Robin Beasley and Barbara Draus Lapekas; nieces and nephews.
Memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 24, 2025, at First Baptist Church- (new building), 2715 S. Market St., Brenham, TX, 77933, at 2:00pm.
Tributes in lieu of flowers are requested to the Museum of the American G.I. in College Station, TX or The Gideon's International in Nashville, TN.
Ed Draus passed peacefully surrounded by his wife and two children on July 31, 2025, in Neenah, WI. Ed was born to Ted and Hassie Draus on May 25, 1951, in Bluefield, West Virginia. The family moved to Lebanon, Ohio when he was two which influenced the rest of his life as a true country boy. Ed was a child that could be found climbing trees, bothering the farmer down the road, and exploring the forests around their house as much as daylight would allow.
In high school he was an avid reader of Scientific American which led to him being kicked out of math for a semester. Upon graduating from Lebanon High School in 1969 and with a passion for planes, Ed enlisted in the US Navy where he served as a naval aviation electrician from 1970 to 1975, honorably discharged as an AE2.
Ed and Louise were married in 1975 in the church where they first met in CA. After the ceremony, their first venture together was a move to Texas. This was the first of many moves over their nearly 50 years of marriage. Ed's spirit of curiosity landed him jobs at NASA through Lockheed Martin, Arco Pipeline where he was honored with two U.S. patents for CO2 pipeline controls and calibration, Enterprise Products, and finally a part time job as an inspector with TUVSUD after his so-called retirement. These career moves also meant expeditions in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and a final return to Texas. Equipped with his coveted GPS and his "special" maps, the roads provided infinite possibilities where he could make a 20-minute trip back from the grocery store last 2 hours.
Ed loved the outdoors whether it was by land, air, or sea. He and Louise travelled to all 50 states, and they were looking forward to another Alaskan cruise in 2026, his favorite U.S. state to visit. Ed's two children were hooked by his sense of adventure through snow skiing, gold mining, hunting, and traveling to the far ends of Asia. He served on the La Veta, Colorado Fair Board in the 1980's and his regard for animals meant there was rarely a cat, dog, or horse he couldn't win over.
Ed was a member of First Baptist Church, Brenham where he volunteered on the Technical team for over 10 years. He held a special interest in serving with construction projects in Navajo missions in New Mexico and church building projects in Piedras Negras, Mexico, and was instrumental in the installation of sound systems in 3 different churches. Ed was a giver with many of his close friends never knowing the people he had helped throughout his life, whether with gas money, a tow out of a snowbank, or moving across states. The countless stories of his life's adventures will be missed.
Ed is survived by his wife, Louise Draus, of Brenham; children, Brian Draus and Leanne Draus, both of Lubbock, Texas; his two sisters, Marie (Robert) Rainey and Gloria Spurlock; cherished cousins, Robin Beasley and Barbara Draus Lapekas; nieces and nephews.
Memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 24, 2025, at First Baptist Church- (new building), 2715 S. Market St., Brenham, TX, 77933, at 2:00pm.
Tributes in lieu of flowers are requested to the Museum of the American G.I. in College Station, TX or The Gideon's International in Nashville, TN.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Edward Draus, please visit our flower store.
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