Drew Michael Armstrong

Drew was an incredible brother and son. He brought light and laughter into the lives of everyone around him. He loved family gatherings with his cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and of course the massive extended family. He was always kind and patient with the little ones and they loved him for it.

Drew was ENERGETIC

Drew had a constant, unstoppable energy that no one else could keep up with. Drew devoted his life to being the family daredevil. We always said he just lacked a two second delay to ask himself if the next stunt was OK. His first steps were a run - not a walk - straight into the corner of the TV. After that we had to look at furniture differently, round and soft became our criteria over style. Broken bones and stitches became the norm. Eventually we had the family Doc on speed dial. The record for shortest time between casts was ten days.

Drew was an ATHLETE

After school one day Drew announced he wanted to play a sport called Lacrosse. We didn’t know anything about it but it wasn’t long before we did, from its Indian origin to how to properly string a stick so it was “barely” legal, to the proper way to shoot. Drew loved to shoot and would spend countless hours practicing. When he joined the Oakridge Lacrosse team as a freshman he weighed 98 pounds. His coach told him that he was now officially 103 pounds because no one on his team was going to be in double digits.

He was the king of flipping on and off of every trampoline, diving board, cliff or structure. He started playing hockey in grade school and the first thing he wanted to learn after putting all the equipment on was how to “drop the gloves”. He developed a love for basketball from his college roommates and took over the TV when home on breaks. We all know more about the Heat and OKC then we ever imagined we would. If you were watching anything with him he would always rewind, rewind, rewind, slow mo and super slow mo to make sure the “epic shot” was seen by all.

Drew was EXPENSIVE

He always brought the WOW factor. Sometimes bringing the WOW factor meant that your house, car, son, and even the neighbors’ house were going to need repairs. After damaging Tricia’s car and then totaling his own the four wheels Drew took to college were on a skateboard. Eventually he adopted the Suburban but was always afraid his Environmental Science advisor, Dr. Brown, would find out he was driving such a gas guzzler. A new Mazda 3 at 40 MPG was the answer. Drew took full advantage of his “necessities” credit card. To him a necessity was a new pair of shoes if his had mud on them or a new pair of sunglasses if the ones he was currently wearing didn’t match his shirt, shorts or mood.

Drew was a ROCKSTAR

Drew’s first apartment after the dorms was practically a music studio. They had almost every instrument made but no TV. Drew became an expert on the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pink Floyd. He also did a little rap writing. The lines below are from his computer.

i write rhymes that are one of a kind, but sometimes dont define

what i say in every line is like a riddle so take your time

i dont need your advice and i dont need to be precise

i may be white as rice but ill show u up on water or ice

so listen close to what i say, and be thankful for this day

u hearin this for free, some day you’ll be payin an admission fee

Drew was GENEROUS

Even as a child Drew was constantly giving his things away. As a poor college student he was always giving the homeless money but first he would sit and talk with them and sometimes make them answer trivia. He found interest and humor in many places. He loved to stir things up on Facebook from time to time, then sit back and watch just for entertainment.

Drew was SMART

Drew enrolled into Chico State University where he found his true calling, Environmental Science. He could talk non-stop about anything ranging from rocks to the stars and he would light up anytime someone would ask him about his studies. During trips home or phone calls he would relate every important thing his professors had taught him.

We could continue writing about Drew forever but we would like to hear stories from you. He is missed by so many. Please share your memories of him here.