Dee Donovan Drake

Dee Donovan Drake of Vidor Texas died Saturday, April 2, 2022, at age 75 at Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, TX. Dee was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on January 22, 1947, to loving parents Hubert Lee Drake and Doratha Ella Drake, née Baker. He was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and later lived in Sand Springs, OK, Carrollton, TX and Vidor, TX. He was a teacher and a businessman and trained restaurant managers for Unigate. He also served in the US Navy. He was a man of deep faith and attended First Baptist Church of Tulsa for many years and, later, First Baptist Church of Vidor. Kindness, creativity, and undefeatable humour were his hallmarks. His gifts and skills were many: builder and inventor of fascinating puzzles, highly sociable chess master, gun afficionado and maker of music and musical instruments. First and foremost, he was a loving, generous dad and granddad. He is preceded in death by his parents, Hubert and Doratha, and his wife, Eleanor June Drake, née Walles, of Vidor. He is survived by his daughter, Dr Doratha Ella Vinkemeier, and son-in-law, Prof. Dr. Uwe Vinkemeier, of Nottingham, UK, and his grandchildren, Isabel Nancy and Bertrand Gerhard Vinkemeier. He is also survived by his stepchildren Elizabeth Punches and Beau Wade. Dee was adored by his daughter, son-in-law Uwe, and his grandchildren, Isabel and Bertie, as well as many others touched by his abundant wit, perseverance, and warm-heartedness. We will miss him greatly. A gathering for family and friends will be held at Memorial Funeral Home of Vidor, 1750 Hwy 12, Vidor, TX 77662, on Tuesday, April 12 at 11am.