Drew Neves

Drew was born in Conroe, Texas, to Karri Sloan and Roy Neves on April 12, 1981. His parents and grandparents kindled in him a love for the outdoors. As a child, he fished Lake Conroe with his father and marveled at the natural world — the forest and wildlife — with his mother. And, he learned invaluable hunting and outdoorsman skills from his Pop.

As an adolescent, Drew drove dirt bikes and four-wheelers through the piney woods, launching himself over homemade ramps and mud pits while his siblings (Deke, Nicole, and Kaci) looked on in shock and eventual amazement. It was not uncommon to find Drew at the kitchen table, pressing a bloodied dish towel to a wound, a toothy grin on his face, while he recounted the origin of his injuries.

As he grew, so did his adventures. He met lifelong friends Whit Oberman and Grant Schilhab. The trio challenged their parents with their uncanny ability to sneak out after curfew and explore the night. They disarmed their home security systems, climbed out of their windows, rolled Drew’s colossal Chevy down the driveway without a sound, and brought their explosive joy (and possibly fireworks) to every high school party. From then on, they were inseparable and continually found new and exciting ways to help Drew break his Jeep at the off-road park.

Into adulthood, Drew remained undaunted. Though he wasn’t particularly fond of heights, he parachuted out of planes. He hunted dove and deer with his family in Uvalde. Alongside his close friend DJ Jones, he surfed the crocodile-speckled beaches of Costa Rica. He fished the Gulf Coast between the fins of black tips and bull sharks. And while danger was ever-present, Drew’s desire to experience the earth’s wilderness prevailed.

In his late twenties, Drew had a different kind of adventure — a beautiful daughter, Zoe Leigh Neves, whom he loved fiercely. Through his daily hard work (and sometimes heckling), he armed her with the knowledge and know-how to protect herself while also affecting the world with honesty, kindness, and love. And ultimately, he accomplished his mission of raising a young adult daughter who makes wiser choices than he did as a teen (she has the GPA to prove it — and so far, hasn’t lit any unsanctioned fires or climbed out of any windows after curfew.) Drew’s sense of empathy, intelligence, and creativity live on in Zoe.

His daughter inspired him to take more responsibility in the family's business, Lomax Electric, which he eventually purchased from his father. Drew expanded the business and brought an unmatched level of talent and attention to detail to his craft. His customers returned year after year, and he saw his work as an opportunity to bolster the community. After storms ripped through the city, he grabbed his tool belt, helped folks navigate the debris, and started their generators, ensuring those in need always had power.

His generous heart and relentless spirit eventually led him to the love of his life, Allison (Gillette) Neves. Allison and Drew often matched each other's intensity and more than occasionally argued, not out of meanness, but out of a desire to challenge each other. Iron sharpens iron, and these two continually honed each other's talents and rough edges.

Drew and Allison faced many fears together. They met each other’s crazy families, who hailed from opposite ends of the country. They sparked off countless artillery shells every Fourth of July. They rafted down the world’s highest raftable waterfall in New Zealand. They climbed volcanoes and Earth’s tallest mountain in Hawaii. And together, they had a curious, wild boy — Nash Forest Neves — at the height of the pandemic.

Drew desperately wanted more time with Nash, but he gave him a lifetime of lessons in five short years. Drew taught Nash to adore anything with an engine, handle a rod and reel (That boy can cast!), go all out (no brakes!), and to love the ocean. Drew’s adventurousness and daily exemplification of what it is to be a good man live on in Nash.

When Drew learned he had cancer in 2022, he faced his diagnosis like any other rugged landscape. He saw it as an opportunity to drive full throttle into uncertainty and find beauty and gratitude in the most challenging hours.

While we might feel fear and sadness after the loss of Drew, he would want us to persist. He would encourage us to seek out the cliff edges and the untamed waters, to paddle out into the ocean, watch the sun rise, and witness nature come alive. He’d want us to explore the world – including its frightening parts – and let it split our hearts wide open.

Drew is preceded in death by his grandfathers, Bobby Sloan and Roy E. Neves. He is survived by his wife, Allison Neves; his children, Zoe and Nash; his parents, Roy Neves and Karri Sloan; his grandmothers, Ellen Cheek and Amelda Sloan; his siblings, Deke and Brittany Neves, Nicole Neves, Kaci and Preston Willms; his nieces and nephews (whom he rough-housed from the moment they could walk), Aubree, Remi, Mila, Evie, and Mac; his best friends Grant Schilhab, Whit Oberman and DJ Jones; his honorary nieces and nephews, Dillon, Little Whit, Ava, Jackson, and Harrison; and a plethora of Allison’s New Englanders who adopted him as their brother.

Drew’s funeral services will be held on November 15, 2025, at 2:00 PM at Restoration Church on 107 Fish Creek Thoroughfare, Montgomery, TX 77316. A funeral procession to Lake Conroe will follow.

Instead of flowers, please donate to Wonders & Worries (select the option to donate in memoriam and provide Drew’s name) or donate to Camp Kesem. Wonders & Worries provided Zoe and Nash with free, invaluable emotional support and guidance, helping them flourish amid hardship. Zoe also found joy and connection at Camp Kesem, a free summer camp for children whose parents face cancer.