Roll Call Tribute

Drew Davis Williams 

January 18, 1935 - October 17, 2023 

Drew Davis Williams, who was born in San Augustine, Texas, in January of 1935, passed away on October 17, 2023 in Baytown, Texas, at the age of 88 years old. He grew up in Anahuac, with his parents, Floyd and Villa Mae Williams, his sister Kathy, and his brother Everett ‘Butch’ Williams. He and his siblings participated in a multitude of school and church activities while his parents served in the Chambers County government and managed and built up their own accounting practice.

During his youth, Drew excelled at sports, band, and academics and became the class president his Senior year. Many of the friends that he met in this small town remained his lifelong buddies. These were friends like Joe Sandlin, Booster Stevens, Albert Kunkle, Joe Whitehead, and Jim Bob Jackson.

Drew attended Texas A&M University and played the clarinet as part of the Corps of Cadets Aggie Band. Even though the professors at this big university doubted that a small town high school education gave him the ability to pass the difficult classes, he proved them wrong and excelled by graduating in three years. He then headed to Medical School at the University of Texas, where he ultimately decided to focus on General Surgery. While still in medical school in Galveston, he met a beautiful lab tech in the blood lab at John Sealy Hospital - Marilyn Raus. After going on one date, he stood over his bunsen burner and decided that he was going to marry her. They impatiently eloped in May 1957 and had their first child, Leslie, 9 months and 3 days later when just starting his residency and internships. Two years and 2 months later, Cindy was born in Seattle during residency. In 1962, even though he had two small children and was still in residency, he was drafted into the military service obtaining the rank of lieutenant commander and served on active duty during the Cuban Conflict as a Naval Flight Surgeon. While still in active service, he had his son, Matthew in Dallas, Texas. Their final two daughters, Jennifer and Amy were born once they settled in Baytown and he started his private practice.

Drew took his role as a doctor very seriously and made every effort to increase his medical knowledge and influence the industry. He was the President of the Singleton Surgical Society as well as the Houston Surgical Society, and was appointed to the Texas State Board of Medical examiners by Governor Mark White where he served for many years. At San Jacinto Methodist Hospital here in Baytown, he served as the President of the Medical staff and chairman of the Surgery Department and liaison for the Commission on Cancer for almost ten years. There were many achievements and memberships, however, anyone who was ever a patient would tell you that he was humble and easy to talk to. He used to say that he was a professional knot tie-er for a living. He spent time talking through any questions a patient had and never rushed with a patient. And he kept his Bible on his desktop and within arm’s reach so anyone could see where his faith stood.

Drew was a faithful and an active member of the Church of Christ in Mont Belvieu, Texas for over 60 years. He always went to church, even during college. His religion was extremely important to him and his family and he continued to attend up until the end of his life.

Besides working to support his wife and children, one of his greatest passions outside of work was gardening. It wasn’t unusual for him to come home from work and start weeding the garden while he was still wearing his suit. We all remember the black berries that he planted and then invited family and friends to come and harvest. Many tomatoes were grown, and chickens, ducks, and geese were raised. He also loved fishing, duck & goose hunting as well as camping – he loved to spend time with Butch and Kathy’s kids with good food, enjoying the beauty of East Texas.

Drew developed a natural talent and interest in painting as a teenager. When he and Marilyn designed their family home on Kilgore Road, he included only 1 room upstairs – a painting studio with walls of windows on all sides. Throughout their home, there are many of his paintings. He loved vivid colors. He rarely painted a tree or pond as green or blue – they usually reflected bright yellows and oranges. He rarely wore a conservative dark tie, instead he usually wore a bright bow tie. His grandkids fondly remember his Christmas ties that played music when you pushed the button.

Another one of his hobbies involved shrimp. Drew loved shrimp – always. If you asked what he wanted for dinner – it was always shrimp. Early in their time on Kilgore Road, he really wanted a boat. Marilyn absolutely did not. He mentioned it a few times, researched it some more, talked about it some more and then one Saturday morning, when everyone woke up, there was a new bright yellow boat in the front driveway. He gave it the perfect name - ‘Marilyn’. It was hard for her to be mad when it had her name on it. He bought all the equipment so they could use it as a shrimping boat and this led to many Saturday Family Shrimping Trips.

As much as they loved food, the Williams Family loved their pets. They usually had 3 dogs and 3 cats at any given time. One really big dog, one little tiny dog and one basset hound. Drew felt that a really big dog was needed for a really big family (a trend he passed down to the rest of the family).

When Drew retired his private practice and his kids had left the home, he dedicated his energy to his 2nd career goal – being a farmer. Anyone who knows Drew, knows he did not do anything half way. He added a ‘little’ barn and greenhouse to his back yard. He consulted with Texas A&M to design the perfect chicken coop and then had it built. He purchased his first ‘little’ flock of 100+ chickens. He decided to add a few ducks and geese and then added a little pond for them to swim in. He expanded his garden, added a grove of fig trees and then a fruit orchard, then planted a blackberry grove. Anyone can remember the years where dad would open his trunk in the church parking lot and start pulling out dozens and dozens of fresh eggs to give away.

Thankfully, he had the perfect farmer’s wife! Marilyn preserved and baked everything he harvested. They loved entertaining at home – he always enjoyed it when neighbors, friends, and family came to sit on the breezeway and visit. We had many wonderful Raus family ‘get-togethers’ with nieces and nephews and lots of card games and good food. He knew that he had the best cook for a wife and he ate very well for many years.

Over the last year or two, Drew was not able to do all that he had been doing. He missed being able to work in the garden and go visit everyone. He still had many plans: He wanted more land and a bigger and better tractor, he wanted a smaller house, he wanted to travel to all of the places he read about in his National Geographic Magazines and he continuously read through his seed catalogues and dreamed of the next garden. Well, now he’ll get to relax and be happy without struggling and we know his garden dreams are coming true. We will all miss him.

Drew, is preceded in death by his parents Floyd and Villa Mae Williams, his sister Kathy Williams, and his brother Everett ‘Butch’ Williams.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Marilyn Williams and his 5 children: Leslie Williams, Cindy Earles and her husband Ronald, Matthew Williams and his wife Monica, Jennifer Salcetti and her husband Blake, and Amy Lenertz and her husband Gary. He is also survived by his 11 grandchildren: Travis Earles and his wife Angelina, Jason Earles, Shannon Earles, Nicole Williams, Andrew Williams, Aaron Williams, Braden Lenertz, Tori Lenertz, Isabella Salcetti, Nicholas Salcetti, and Adam Salcetti as well as his 3 Great-grandchildren: Wyatt, Walker, and Wren Earles.

Serving as pallbearers will be his seven grandsons: Travis Earles, Jason Earles, Andrew Williams, Aaron Williams, Braden Lenertz, Nicholas Salcetti, and Adam Salcetti.

His family will receive friends at Navarre Funeral Home, 2444 Rollingbrook Drive, Baytown, Texas 77521 on Saturday, October 21, 2023. Visitation is from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m., followed by a funeral service at the same address at 10:00 a.m. with Ty Fleming officiating. Burial will follow at the Barber Family Cemetery in Barbers Hill, Texas.