Dear Drew (part 3)

You and Brenda made two great babies, Drew!  They are both beautiful children.  Whenever I pray with them we ask God to give you a hug from us. 

God has given me two beautiful views of you in heaven; I’m grateful for them. The first one came not too long after you were gone. I was listening to the song “I Can Only Imagine” and I saw you and Jesus standing there, looking down at me, both with beautiful, peaceful smiles.  I knew you were ok, free like never before.   Then a couple of months ago I was listening to some worship music and I saw you worshiping Jesus with a beautiful but reckless abandon, something I knew you were too stoic here on earth to do. But my, what a sight; and I thought how wonderful it would be to be that free.

I don’t know what’s ahead for any of us here Drew, but I know that one day we’ll be together again. Thank you for all the love, the memories, the things you taught me. Of course, it’s never going to be enough but yet I know it is. God numbers our days and I trust Him.  I love you Drew and I miss you still, so very much. One day ......

Love, 
Mom


Dear Drew (part 2)

I’m thankful I was able to be with you so much through the brutal ordeal. During the six months of pretty intense suffering both you and Brenda were strong, taking each day for what it was. Not to say it was easy however God gave you a strong will, which took you through much pain and suffering, and with no complaints. I still marvel at that! And God knew, before any of us were born, that you would need a strong willed wife who would need that stamina to see her through gut wrenching times. You picked well, Drew.

Another thing that I’ve thought about many times was the song God put in Ruth’s heart to suggest for your celebration of life service. I had never heard of Tauren Wells, nor the song “Fully Known”. To be honest, I thought it was a lady singing. You can laugh; I’m sure it doesn’t surprise you that your Mom might make that kind of a mistake. But my, what a great song, and it gave me so much assurance and comfort that you were with Jesus. And I’ve since listened to more of his music. 

And wow, your brother did you proud, let me tell you. He wrote a eulogy that really rocked me. You and he are so different, but he really understood you and loves you. I will treasure his words – the pages of words – for the rest of my life. 

And Dad, he misses you Drew. I’m glad he was there with you for the last few hours. I can’t speak for him but I know he loves you so much. 

We talk about you here all the time. Your kids have such great memories of you, memories I know they will cherish forever. It’s been a tough year for them, a hurt that no one can make better. I’m thankful they understand you are with Jesus and one day we will all be together there.  One of their favourite stories is how you always would honk the horn in the van when Brenda walked in front of it and she would always jump. They still think it’s hilarious. I love how they role play and talk with such excitement when they relay memories. 

Dear Drew, (part 1)

I can hardly believe a whole year has passed already; it’s hard to believe that you’re actually gone, in the presence of Jesus where time, pain, and sorrow are no more. When you died I felt like part of me died too, although I was so glad you were no longer suffering in any way. Life, from the very beginning, was a challenge for you. But what a warrior you were!

I don’t think there’s a day that’s gone by that I haven’t thought of you and missed you so very much.  So many times there were things I wanted to tell you, only to remember you probably already knew them. As you know, tears were not a very big part of my life, but now they come so easily, too easy sometimes and it makes me uncomfortable. I don’t know what to do with them. I think you will understand that. 

I am very thankful to God for the privilege of having you in my life. God gave me two sons that are so much more than I could have ever hoped for.  I learned much from you, and as I told you and others, one of the most important things I learned from you is grace. Grace never ends, and it’s always accompanied by love. I knew the word grace from a young child but now I have an understanding of what it is and where it all comes from. 

When I think back over the last 18 months I really have to marvel at how God ordered our steps. I’m thankful for Karen heeding the voice of God, telling her I needed to move out but she didn’t know why.  That brought me to living with you and Brenda, something I wasn’t sure I could do. Hardly a month later we find out you have stage 4 cancer; terminal the Drs said, right from the diagnosis. How could it possibly be? 

Drew, you inspired me with your positivity, sense of humour, and determination to make life happen!   Until we meet again...

I remember going out for dinner with our BMO people for Christmas and Dru came along. Brenda was telling me a serious story and Dru was behind her sticking his tongue out and crossing his eyes, making it extremely hard for me not to laugh at Brenda while she was telling her story. Always cherish all the memories you all had together.  Love you lots Brenda and I will always be here to support you and comfort you. 

I wish I could find a picture, but moving forward, Drew shared a birthday with our Daughter, Rebekah, his cousin.
So picture this: our home, lots of kids, chips, hotdogs, pop, cake and ice cream. I was giving pop options as they came upstairs for food. Drew came to the top of the stairs and sat there. I decided he was going to tell me what he wanted, and told him I could wait all day. (I would not have 😉) he evidently believed me, as after some time he got up and said “I want a coke”. I quickly met his request, hugged him( what more did he have to go through for a coke😘) and told him he could come for a second one. I made sure he got a piece of cake with the most icing, no words needed. That night I prayed for my wee Drew, as he was on my heart and I felt a warmth and and a small glimpse of how much God loved him. Happy birthday Drew, you are not forgotten ❤️🥤

Memory from Jan 2010

PRECIOUS MOMENTS~ woke up this morning and Drew had his hand on my baby bump and he said '' i love you two''  awww  then he put his ear to the bump and tried to listen for the baby...heehee then he decided he and the baby needed to listen to some music so he shared his headphones with my bump LOL i can't wait for him to feel the kicking!!

Orange pop moustache. 

Our fur family (before kids) 
Hank & Charlie 

We couldn’t believe how small scarlet was when she came home from the hospital! 

Such a sweet memory of when Skyler was tiny 

One day Drew just climbed out the living room window onto the roof. He stood there contemplating about walking over and knocking on the neighbours window to scare them. He said he always wanted to climb out there. 

Drew was so nervous about being a dad. He was afraid he’d break the baby. He never wanted to hold other people’s babies before our kids came along. But he was a natural.  He was so good with the kids. He was very proud of them both and was always horsing around and making them laugh. 

We remember when daddy used to say him and Poochie were twins 

We met Dru in the 90’s through Dru’s parents. He was in his mid teens when Charlene & Wade moved from Breton to Edmonton. My understanding was that the move was largely for Dru’s sake. We mostly knew Dru through his parents. In his early 20’s he spent a significant period of time working at Beulah Alliance Church as a custodian. Our son in law Nathan, also worked there and would often tell us about the interesting books and Bibles that Drew read and the thought provoking discussions they had.  After hearing many similar stories at his Celebration of Life, I realize that Drew truly was a complex individual. It is comforting to know that while we can’t always figure out the complexities of life, God understands and takes us as we are when we give ourselves to Him. Rest In Peace Dru. Your family is in our prayers. 
Ed & Betty Giesbrecht

I came home from work one day in the fall of 2018, and Drew had brought a pile of books up from storage.  I remember telling him he needed to find a home for them and he felt they were just fine stacked like this beside his couch. 

Family picnic at Cultus Lake - summer 2018

I have known Andrew my whole life. We grew up together in Breton and had lots of great times. Mike was my best friend and my sister and Andrew were very close as well. They lived across the road from us growing up so we spent a lot of time together. He was like a little brother to me.

Brenda and family 
I’m so sorry for your loss of your husband, dad, son, cousin and nephew. I pray God will give you the help and encouragement that you all need in order to help each other get up each day and do what you need to do. Don’t be afraid to lean on family, friends, and coworkers if you need anything. We love you. 

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I was given the blessing to have known Dru for the last two plus years.  We shared laughs, struggles, prayers, victories, and defeats while fighting for a better life in Adult and Teen Challenge.  We continued our brother-like friendship post TC with random hang outs and bible studies.  I know I will never in my life again meet a man as unique and genuine as Dru.  Thank you brother for touching my heart.  

Until we meet again.  

I got to spend a lot of time with Dru when I lived in Edmonton. Dru and I got along very well since a very young age. Dru and I were either at church, bible study or roaming the mall.  We always talked about life and we had a great time being young.  Dru taught me how to play guitar, hour after hour he spent with me teaching me everything I needed to know. He was a very strong soul, he was a very strong man. He was a great friend throughout my life. I have a lot of great memories to laugh about.  I am grateful to have learned so much from Dru and the great times we had.

I first met Dru shortly after graduation back in 2001.  I didnt know him until we met through a mutual friend and being in the same cell group at Beaulah alliance church.  I didnt get much along with anybody there but Dru and I seemed to click and share views on spirituality and theology and shortly hung out much more.  Unfortunately as i left the church our paths went separate ways but i always remembered how cool the guy was as young adults trying to figure out life in our own way.  We shared the same interests in music and jammed a few times together while talking about all kinds of stuff.  Even talked about starting a band together!
You're going to be missed buddy.  

I knew Dru as my nephew.  I was so privileged to know Dru right from the beginning!  Even as a baby Dru had crazy long feet with very distinctive heels.  We may have bugged him a time or two about those feet.  Dru was very close in age to our daughters, his cousins Christin and Sacha.   Uncle Gerry and I have many memories of Christmas’ spent together and lots of precious family time.  We will all miss Dru very much.   We are so thankful we know he’s with Jesus.   Our love to the Freeson family.  

I grew up with my cousin Dru and his brother Mike, So there are many memories, but I’ll always look back and laugh at all the times Mike and I would use Dru to try out our wrestling moves on the trampoline when we were kids. Dru was fearless then; and he lived his life courageous! My life is bettered because Dru was in it.

I first met Dru when Brenda and Dru got married here in Edmonton. I remember thinking how tall he was.  Being tall myself,  not a lot of people can make me feel short,  but he sure did.   I remember how happy everyone was.  Over the years,  I have had the privilege to watch your beautiful family grow  Your happy times together,  and yes,  your sad times together.  

Keep  Dru in your hearts and in your life.  Don't stop talking about him, and making him part of your family events.  He is still with you,  and will always watch over his family.

My love to you all.
Joanne Booth



There are so many great memories of you Dru! We had great conversations online.  For a short time, you and I were running buddies and encouraged each other online. You showed such love to your kids and Brenda and were always your true self. Your passion for reading philosophy and debate was inspiring. You are forever in our hearts. Your presence will be deeply missed. 

Dru is my cousin. Dru and I had many adventures as kids as our families did a lot together. You can see Dru in the picture flying an airplane while everyone else relaxed on one of our camping trips. We had some shared birthday parties as we have the same birthday (not the year, but the day). One of my memories was when we were really young. Mike, Terry, Dru, and I would be playing some kind of 'role-playing' adventure in the forest and yard. About halfway through we realized Dru had changed his persona or objective and was acting out a completely different game scenario. He didn't leave us or abandoned the group, he just started doing things his own way without saying a word. Classic Dru. He is forever part of who we are. Sending love and continued prayers to you Brenda, Skarlet, Skyler, Auntie Char, Uncle Wade, Mike, Stephanie, and Charlotte as you remember and grieve.

We still remember going to Charlene’s and walking in the house and hearing what, at first seemed like screaming, but then to realize Dru was preaching up a storm! Dru you will be missed. Hope the angels like loud preachers!

It is hard to say Goodbye to a loved one, especially one so young, but our nephew, Dru is now free of pain and in the arms of Jesus. Memories of shared Birthday parties with Rebekah (both born on May 3rd), Dru, Mike, Terry and Rebekah on the trampoline out on the acreage, his love of reading, the kid’s chicken scramble at the rodeo, which Dru did not do, because he was waiting for a horse scramble.  Priceless! Our two Families spent quite a few Christmases together, where game playing with Dru was never boring!
We will miss him and think of him often. Charlene , Brenda and family, we will be here to help in any way possible! Goodbye for now nephew!

Skyler &  Scarlets 2013 Birthday Party Edmonton Alberta 

How do sum up in words someone you’ve known their entire life of 36 years.  You grew up with my kids (your cousins) and you are the same age as my son - at times you were like another son to me.  Crazy laughter and silly stories - you and Jord had some fun times.  I loved you for who you were.  In later years you  were helpful to us many times and would always say “no problem” - thank you for your gift of help.  You will be missed and we will all do our best to help support Brenda, and your two precious ones, Scarlet and Skyler.  Gone too soon, but never forgotten. 

I have many favourite memories. Drew was such a proud daddy. He shared his sense of humour with the kids and it will be what I miss the most. Even after almost 15 years he found it hilarious to honk the horn every time I walked in front of the car.  I would jump and he would laugh. 

When daddy was big and strong and gave me piggy backs. Also when daddy watched the grinch with us. 

When Daddy was riding Skyler’s bike and his knees were up to his cheeks because the bike was so small. 

I’ll miss you, Comrade. You are & still are the most unique person I ever met online. I never had the money to travel but if I ever had to meet anyone in person from the Internet it would have been you. Godspeed. 

Drew and I had tickets to see Kiss in Concert in Abbotsford.  Inside we listened to the first band, then we decided to get a drink. Drew looked at me and said "let's have one Beer but don't tell Brenda".  I said "not a problem!".  
We got our beer and sat down in our seats. We waited for Kiss to come out. What a great evening it was. We listened to 3 unknown bands and then Kiss with their original Makeup on. This is one of my favorite memories listening to one of my favorite bands with my brother-in-law!

OBITUARY

Andrew "Dru" Abraham Freeson

3 May, 1982 – 20 December, 2018

Woodlawn Mt. Cheam Funeral Home

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