Sandra Paige Drewes

andra “Sandy” Paige Drewes, 70, peacefully died on Jan. 30, 2015, in her home at Regency Park Place Assisted Living in Corvallis, after a long battle with cancer. Born 1945 in Hempstead, New York, she also lived in Mount Sinai, New York, and Boone, North Carolina, before moving to Corvallis in late 2006. Degrees were a Bachelor of Science and Mathematics from the State University of New York, Stony Brook; an associate’s degree from SUNY, Farmingdale, in biological technology; and a master’s degree in higher education and developmental education from the Appalachian State University, 1987. Her early career included microbiology work for the American Cancer Society, Smithtown General Hospital and NASA. In her later career, she dedicated her life’s work to developmental education and students with math anxiety. As a staff member of the National Center for Developmental Education (ASU, 1995 to 2006) and Director of ASU’s Kellogg Institute (2000 to 2006), she influenced many hundreds of students through her teaching and organization of undergraduate, graduate and advanced teacher training courses. One of her legacies was preparing cohorts of teachers to change learning environments and communities so that students were empowered to become lifelong learners. Her professional accomplishments are matched by her dedication to raising her two children, and in turn being a grandmother to their children. She shared her love of the outdoors and the ocean with her family. In Corvallis, she was an active member of the knitting and weaving community. Survivors include her son, Brian Drewes, and daughter in-law, Meizi Huang, of Boston, Massachusetts; daughter and son in-law Kristen and Allen Milligan of Corvallis; grandchildren Lila Drewes, Josephine Drewes and Paden Milligan; mother, Audrey Evans of Fort Collins, Colorado; brothers Tom Jones of Williamsburg, Virginia, and Robert Jones of Fort Collins; former spouse, Frederick Drewes of Mount Sinai; and beloved friends including Amy Peters of Corvallis and Ginny West of Commack, New York. Sandy was preceded in death by her birth father, Frank Drinkwater; stepmother, Margaret Drinkwater; and adoptive father, Harold Jones. A memorial service in celebration of her life will take place at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, at Regency Park Place Assisted Living, 2595 N.E. Jack London St., Corvallis. An East Coast memorial service will be announced. Memorial contributions in her name are welcome at Benton Hospice Service, 2350 N.W. Professional Drive, Corvallis, OR 97330; and the Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation, Attn: For Cancer Care, 3600 N.W. Samaritan Drive, Corvallis, OR 97330.

Tributes

Sandra Paige Drewes

January 10, 1945 - January 30, 2015