Sheila Drew

Saturday, June 4, 2022 7:39 am

Sheila Drew, age 70, of Kansas City, Kans. (formerly of Decorah) passed away on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City after a brief and courageous battle with Leukemia.

Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Decorah with Rev. Donald Hertges presiding. Burial will be in the St. Benedict Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until the time of service at the church on Tuesday morning.

Shel was born on May 14, 1952, the second of seven siblings to Daniel and Betty Mae (Timp) Drew of rural Decorah. Shel attended DeSales in Ossian and South Winneshiek High School in Calmar. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a nursing degree in 1975 and spent two years at the University of Iowa Hospital before moving to Kansas City in 1977, beginning a 45-year career as a surgical nurse at the Truman Medical Center/UMKC Department of Ophthalmology.

Shel loved being a nurse and over the decades she helped mentor countless Doctors of Ophthalmology through their residency programs.  Those residents were likely better physicians for the time spent around her and she considered all those she worked with in KC as her special “work family.

The farm west of Decorah is where she spent many weekends and nearly every holiday, traveling back and forth between KC and the farm in her black Toyota truck. Her truck was always loaded with supplies -things she thought were needed at the farm and always a large pan of her Special K bars. With Shel in charge, “things got done,” but once the work was over, there was always time for a game of Euchre, 500 or Poker with the family. Shel loved cooking and baking and we will always cherish her pancakes, bread, cookies, bars, and homemade strawberry jam. She was an avid Iowa Hawkeye and Kansas City Chiefs fan.

One of Shel’s greatest joys was spending time with her niece, nephews and her grand-nieces and grand-nephews. She was like a second mom to all of us over the years and was always fast and first to grab and hold a little one. She spoiled us with her enormous generosity and showered us with love and affection her entire life. She will be greatly missed by all that knew her.

She was preceded in death by her father, Daniel Drew and brother, Patrick Drew.

Sheila is survived by her mother Betty Mae Drew-Decorah; five siblings Mary (Dan) Taiber of Johnston, John Drew of Decorah, Kevin Drew of Decorah, Peter (Lisa) Drew of Saint Joseph, Minn., and Lisa Drew of Decorah; one sister-in-law, Sharon Drew of Decorah; nephews and niece -Justin(Lindsey) Taiber, Andy(Jessica) Taiber, Ben Taiber, Jenna Taiber, Nicholas Drew and Samuel Drew; grand-nieces and grand-nephews Brooklyn, Ella, Hayden, Rilynn, Easton, and Wyatt Taiber.

A nursing scholarship at UMKC is being established in Sheila’s name and all donations will be forwarded to that fund.