Piqua Daily Call
Nov 23, 2007
Ned M. Drees, 92, of Covington, passed away Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007, in Llano County Texas. He was born Jan. 4, 1915, in Covington, to Donald and Blanche Mohler Drees and was a lifelong resident there. For 20 years he wintered at the Traveler's Rest resort near Dade City, Fla. For the past four winters, he had stayed at the home of his son in Llano County, Texas. Mr. Drees was preceded in death by his wife of more than 50 years, Roxie. He is survived by a son, Bruce Drees of Llano County, Texas; a daughter, Sally Gottliebson, of Columbus; a foster son, Douglas Gragg, of Marietta, Ga.; six grandchildren, Becky Serikawa of Seattle, Wash., Beth Drees of Salt Lake City, Utah, Anthony Gragg of Powder Springs, Ga., Elaine Finstad of Tucson, Ariz., Susan Warren of Hiram, Ga. and Emily Drees of Houston, Texas; and 10 great-grandchildren. Mr. Drees graduated from Covington High School in 1933. He attended every annual alumni gathering of Covington High School from his graduation through 2006. He was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church in Covington. He was a Past Master of the Masonic Lodge. During the Great Depression, he served in the Civilian Conservation Corps in Montana, Idaho and California. In the 1930s, he was a surveyor for Pioneer Electric and helped install some of the original rural electric lines in Miami County. During the late 1940s and early 1950s' he operated a restaurant on the east side of Covington. He retired from the Hobart Corp. in 1962. At the time of his retirement he was responsible for the corporation's payroll. He served two terms as mayor of Covington in the 1950s and was instrumental in establishing and maintaining the Covington Historical Society and its museum. He was considered a primary resource on the history of Covington and Miami County and answered many inquiries from people concerning their descendants and the history of the area. He also gave a number of talks on this history to local schools and groups. In his late 80s he completed a large volume on the descendants of Henry Mohler, who moved from his native Switzerland to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the early 1700s. After completing this volume, he often assisted others in research of their family's genealogy and was a familiar face at the Troy Historical Society Library as a patron assistance volunteer for many years. Funeral services will be held at at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. John's Lutheran Church, Covington. Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery in Covington. Visitation will be from 3-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Pearson-Jackson Funeral Home, Covington. Contributions if so desired, may be made in Ned's memory to the Covington or Troy Historical Society.