David J. Drew

We’ve lost another Vietnam veteran, another brother, another father. David Joseph Drew died in the early hours of March 22nd at the Elliot Hospital, three days after his 77th birthday. David was born and raised in New Hampshire. Other than when Uncle Sam decided that he and 2.7 million of his fellow countrymen needed to become intimately acquainted with the jungles of southeast Asia, he spent the vast majority of his life in the Granite State.

An athlete in his youth, David played for Manchester Central High School’s hockey team in its inaugural season. His love of sports followed him throughout his life, both as a fan and competitor. His television and radio were perpetually tuned to any and all New England sports. For decades the voices of Dale Arnold, Jack Edwards, Jerry Remy, and Don Orsillo filled his home with every triumph and tragedy coming out of the Boston sports world.

David was an avid golfer, going back years before the sport became democratized. Long before the links became a gathering place for T-shirts and tallboys, David would work all week as a union construction laborer, doing his part to build the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant, Manchester City Hall, and Bishop Guertin High School, then on weekends, he’d spend hours chasing that little white ball from tee to green, his golf bag slung over a farmer-tanned shoulder. With few of his construction friends interested in the links, he often found himself joined to foursomes comprised of doctors and lawyers with haircuts and manicures almost as expensive as their drivers. Meanwhile, Dave hadn’t shaved since returning from Vietnam and his hands were calloused from a lifetime of carrying brick and granite. For years he lived his own personal version of “Caddyshack” until his son, Jesse, took an interest in golf and joined him on the fairways. He only gave up golf late in life after the exposure to Agent Orange during his time in Vietnam led to the amputation of his left leg, but he swore he’d figure out a way to get back out there, artificial leg be damned.

In his 60s, David discovered the National Veterans Golden Age Games, a sports competition and health program for veterans 55 and older. The Golden Age Games sent him all over the country, including to Hawaii, Utah, and New York, where he met with and competed against other veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and the Global War on Terrorism. He won medals in shuffleboard, horseshoes, and croquet. The games were often the highlight of his year, and he would attest that these excursions were exponentially more enjoyable than the first time the US government sent him on a trip.

David was predeceased by his father, Sylvester “Buster” Drew; mother, Theresa (Desmarias) Drew; brother, Richard “Dick” Drew; and brother-in-law, Patrick McGranaghan. He leaves behind a son, Jesse Drew; two sisters, Elaine McGranaghan and Claire McGibbon; and younger brother, Arthur Drew. A committal service with funeral honors will be held April 9, 2026 at 1 p.m. at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery, 110 Daniel Webster Highway, Boscawen, NH 03303.