Edward J. Drejza
August 1, 1933 ~ January 4, 2024
Our father, Edward John Drejza Jr., passed away peacefully on January 4, 2024. He was 90 years old. He would have liked that his obituary started with "Our father."
Before he had kids, he was Eddie. Eddie was born on August 1, 1933, during the Great Depression. He grew up in a loving, modest, and traditional Polish family in upstate New York. At the time, it was a rural area, and his first school was a one-room little red schoolhouse attended by all the grades. Eddie excelled. His parents, Edward Sr. and Mary Drejza, nurtured his profound love of learning and classical music...in part because they did not want him to become a "loafer" at the local pool hall. They needn't have worried. Eddie's passions were school, baseball, listening to classical music, and playing piano. He remained tied to his family throughout his higher education, where he was especially interested in the medical sciences. He broadened his hands-on experience as a medic in the Navy and then began to pursue a graduate education in pharmacology.
Life had other plans. Faced with a decision to pursue his own career or care for his mother and sister, he chose family. Eddie returned home, but he began a career in pharmaceutical research specific to mental disabilities. He contributed to the early advancement of phenylketonuria (PKU) research, publishing a 1966 paper that showed PKU buildup after phenylalanine ingestion. If you are unfamiliar, babies born in the US today are immediately screened for PKU so that the diets of those with the condition can be made phenylalanine-free.
Like everyone's, our father's life was a mixed bag. His dedication to his mother, sister, and career meant a long delay insofar as a love life. He felt deeply; he was temperamental. He had a strong sense of justice; or was that self-righteousness? How serendipitous, then, that he met the one woman in the world who checked all of his boxes: our mom, Carol Marie Novak. In Edward—now in his late 30s—she found the classical romanticism, scientific prowess, and serious dedication to family that she had been seeking. In this new chapter of life, Eddie became Ed. And Dad. Dad was mostly a Health Systems Planner working for hospitals as we were growing up. Although Ed remained introverted, Carol opened doors to traveling and socializing that he would have never otherwise found. Once he got to wherever it was, he was often overcome with a sense of awe: "This is phenomenal, Carol! Phenomenal!"
There were some pastimes that would get Ed out of the house: antique auctions, clock shows, orchestral performances, and horse races. Indeed, we would not being paying proper homage to our father without mentioning his clocks—his hundreds, and then thousands, of clocks, watches, and parts. I asked him once, "Why clocks?" He said something about history.
Our dad's history was one deeply felt, by him and by the family closest to him. Because he was so emotive, I once told my dad that I would read Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Goodnight" at his funeral. It ends:
"And you, my father, there on that sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that goodnight.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
But, the poem no longer applies. As far as we can tell, and contrary to his modus operandi in life, he did go gentle into that goodnight. It seemed tender, not fierce. He spent time with all of his children and most of his grandchildren. Some of his last words were "thank you" and "I love you" to my sister.
Our father is survived by his younger sister, MaryAnne Drejza; his three children and their spouses: Michael & Deborah Drejza, Theresa & Dwayne LeGros, and Bernadette & Dogan Tuncel; and his six grandchildren: Seth Alexandre LeGros, Kincaid "Nogi" Novak LeGros, Ainsley Carol Tuncel, Paxton John Tuncel, Ashley Drejza, and Aiden Drejza. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gentle word to your loved ones tonight, and/or a donation to the Mental Health Foundation (https://mentalhealthfoundation.org/donate/).
A graveside service will take place on Thursday, January 11 at 12 noon at Holy Trinity Cemetery, Utica, NY.