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John R. Drews, 73
Provincetown innkeeper, prominent interior designer
John R. Drews, 73, of Provincetown, died June 8 at Youville Hospital in Cambridge following a year-long battle with cancer.
He was born July 23, 1931, in Toledo, Ohio, the son of Fred and Esther Drews. Educated in Toledo schools, he enlisted in the Air Force after graduation from high school. During his service he was stationed in Georgia and Alaska. Upon discharge he enrolled at the Parsons School of Design in New York. Graduating from there in 1959, he soon joined McMillen Inc, an internationally known interior design firm. He was with McMillen until his retirement, as a vice president and partner, in 1995. During his years with the firm he worked with a wide range of wealthy and celebrated clients including General Foods heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, Revlon founder Charles Revson, as well as such notable public institutions as Blair House and the John F. Kennedy Library. Over the years his work was featured in numerous books, magazines and newspapers.
While still working in New York he purchased the former home of Capt. Russell Knox Elliott, which was being used by the town of Provincetown as a counseling center. The house was entirely renovated and opened as Elliott House in the summer of 1990. He became a full-time Provincetown resident and innkeeper upon his retirement from McMillen.
An avid theater-goer and opera lover, he was a supporter of community theater in both Provincetown and Boston as well as the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, serving on numerous committees and as a member of the Meeting House board. He was also an active volunteer for the Provincetown Aids Support Group (now the Aids Support Group of Cape Cod).
He is survived by his partner, Stephan Viau, of Provincetown and Cambridge; two brothers, Fred of Toledo, Ohio, and Robert of Mt. Prospect, Ill.; 13 nieces and nephews; and 30 grandnieces and nephews. He was predeceased by two sisters, Virginia Thomas and Jane Kelly.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. this Friday at the UU Meeting House. A reception for family and friends will be at 5 p.m. at Adrian’s Restaurant, North Truro. Burial will be in the family plot in Ohio. In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested either to the UUMH Restoration Fund, P.O. Box 817, Provincetown MA 02657 or the ASGCC, P.O. Box 1522, Provincetown, MA 02657.
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Ralph Warren Davis, 80
Thomas J. Merritt
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Jun 16th, 2005