By Staff
Mowitt S. Drew, 90, of Niles, died at 9:31 a.m. on Thursday, May 28, 2009, at Lakeland-Saint Joseph of a brief illness.
The family will receive friends and relatives from 5 to 7 p.m., Monday at the Halbritter Funeral Home. There will be no public funeral as private family services will be held following with burial at Calvary Cemetery, Niles.
The Drew Family and all of their friends and acquaintances were saddened to learn of the passing of the family patriarch, former City Attorney and Mayor of Niles, Michigan, Mowitt Sherman Drew, Sr. on May 28, 2009.
Drew was affectionately known in his later years as "Ginka." An appellation bestowed upon him by his first grandchild, Mowitt Sherman Drew, III.
Having immigrated from Scotland, his family settled in Norwood, N. Y. where Mowitt was born on Sept. 15, 1918. Norwood is a small town (think Galien) located on the Ratchet River just west of the Adirondacks Mountains in Upper Northwest New York.
Mowitt's father was an attorney, having graduated from Syracuse University who also ran the family's lumber and coal business. This small town in the semi-wilderness setting provided Mowitt with many fine experiences during his youth. This included getting caught on the winter ice flow on the Ratchet River and having to be rescued from an island, placing a dead frozen skunk behind the school radiator to avoid being confined all day, and continuous skating on the Main Street during winter.
His athletic prowess also blossomed. In his senior year of high school, as pitcher, he took his small nine-man team to the New York State Baseball Championship. The championship was secured by Norwood, due to Mowitt's no-hit performance in the final game. That led to an athletic scholarship to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. At the U of M he played football and baseball until his sophomore year. During football practice on a chance collision with Forest Evercheskie, Michigan's All American that season, Mowitt severely injured his knee, ending his varsity career.
He continued his education and fell in love with his future wife, Eleanor Marie Donahue of Niles.
After graduating and marrying Eleanor, World War II had begun. Mowitt enlisted in the Army. His knee injury prohibited over-seas service. He was stationed in Monroe, La. with a Paratroop Division. He rose to the rank of Master Sergeant by war's end. Thereafter, he returned to Niles to continue his education at the University of Notre Dame Law School. After graduating, he and his brother-in-law, Edwin Donahue took over the law practice founded by Eleanor and Edwin's father, Edwin J. Donahue, Sr. in 1913.
The ending of the War brought good economic times to Niles. As with many towns in the Midwest, Niles was blessed with a solid manufacturing basis in concerns such as National Standard, Kawneer, Simplicity Pattern, Tyler Refrigeration, Niles Steel Tank and Niles Chemical Paint. It was a very good and prosperous time for Niles and Edwin and Mowitt's practice grew. At this time, both Mowitt and Edwin became involved in politics, with Edwin becoming District Judge and Mowitt serving as City Attorney from 1950-1951, 1964-1965 and being elected Mayor from 1956 through 1964 for a then record four consecutive terms. From 1984 through 1998, he served with high distinction with the Board of Public Works, as Chairman.
This political base led Mowitt into County and State politics and he was elected Berrien County Democratic Chairman in the early 60s. From that position, he helped the Kennedy campaign and was personally invited to the inauguration in Washington. The network developed there brought Eleanor Roosevelt to the City and later, during the Carter campaign, Mrs. Carter visited Niles also. During the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, Mowitt served as a State Delegate (committed to Bobby Kennedy prior to his assassination) during that historic and tumultuous event. Mowitt served for a number of years as a special Deputy Attorney under Michigan Attorney General, Frank Kelly. One of the driving forces of both Mowitt and Eleanor was their firm and solid belief in volunteer service to the betterment of the community. Mowitt was particularly proud of the role he was able to play in developing the F.O.P. Baseball program. During his tenure as Mayor the M-60 US 12 Bypass was also completed.
After the untimely demise of his partner, Edwin, his son M. Sherman Drew, Jr. entered the practice of law with Mowitt and they were soon joined by Mowitt's other son, Sean W. Drew in the practice.
Behind the public persona, Mowitt's actions on a personal level also revealed much about his character. His garden, and in particular, his tomatoes, were renowned throughout the neighborhood, as he dispensed the bounty of his work freely to everyone. One evening, while driving to the ball park, one of the neighborhood children came running to his car, in tears because his brother was lying at the bottom of a 70-foot ravine with a broken leg and a broken arm, having fallen from a vine swing that had extended over the ravine. Mowitt immediately stopped the car, and in full street clothes, descended into the ravine, picking up the child, scaling the walls of the ravine with one hand and then drove the child to the hospital, where a full recovery was achieved.
Mowitt had a great love of the outdoors which was exhibited in his perfection as an archer and fisherman. It did lead him in to some trouble however. Just after the opening of the Fish Ladder in Berrien Springs, Mowitt decided to stop on his way from court in St. Joe to survey the situation. He parked his car at the top of the hill of the river and went down to have a personal look. When he returned, the car was gone and upon going to the Berrien Springs Police office and returning to the site, it was discovered that the car, a Pontiac Bonneville Convertible, had come out of gear and careened into the was river, where it was retrieved by a local towing service.
His love of the outdoors also formed the basis for many long term relationships with his fishing companions. His last trip to Barothy's Lodge on the Pier Marquette River for an annual steelhead fishing trip last November marked his 30th consecutive year of attendance.
Mowitt's life, as with any man's, was not without its adversities. The mark of him, as a man, was that he faced those adversities squarely, dealt with them pragmatically and survived as a better human being. That attribute together with his perpetual pipe, sweet whistling, and gracious and kind demeanor made him welcome wherever he went.
Mowitt was extremely proud of his three surviving children, M. Sherman Drew, Jr. a graduate of University of Michigan and Notre Dame Law School, who is now Executive Vice President, Director and General Counsel of NCP Coatings (Nancy S. Drew, Artist); Johanna Drew, musical artist, Drake University and St. Mary's University; and Sean W. Drew, attorney at Drew Law, University of Michigan, Thomas M. Cooley Law School (Elizabeth, culinary artist), all from Niles.
As a reflection of the circle-of-life and the continuation of new generations, Mowitt Sherman Drew, IV was born shortly before Mowitt's demise, allowing for a short time to have four generations together. Mowitt is also survived by eight grandchildren and five great grandchildren, all of whom loved him with all their hearts. Mowitt will be sadly missed but fondly remembered by all who knew him.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Niles District Library.
Arrangements were by Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles.