Gordon “Drew” Squyres September 09, 1953 – January 26, 2019 Share this obituary Send Private Condolences| Send Sympathy Card Funeral services for Gordon “Drew” Squyres, 65, of Lufkin, will be held Wednesday, January 30, 2019, at 2:00 p.m., in the Carroway Funeral Home Chapel, with Brother Scott Neal officiating. Interment will follow in the Fairview Cemetery. Mr. Squyres was born September 9, 1953, in Clarksdale, Mississippi, to the late Marjorie (Lammey) and Gordon Ralph Squyres, and died Saturday, January 26, 2019, in a local hospital.
Mr. Squyres was a lifetime resident of Lufkin, and was the Director of Utility Collection for the City of Lufkin. He was a member of the Lufkin Masonic Lodge #669 A.F. & A.M., the Kiwanis Club of Lufkin, and Homer United Methodist Church. Drew lived a very full life, brimming with love and happiness.
He was married to the love of his life, Sally, for thirty-eight and a half years. Together, they formed the cornerstone of their sons’ lives, and welcomed their daughters-in-law into the family with open arms, treating them as if they had always been a part of their lives. Drew loved having his “granddogs” around, and could always be found in his chair giving Diesel, Vegas, and Nora beef jerky from a giant bag he bought just for them.
In his younger years, Drew attended Coston Elementary School of Lufkin, and kept in touch with many of his elementary school friends. The self-proclaimed “Costonites” would still meet once a month for lunch up until shortly before Drew passed away, and will serve as pallbearers at the service. Drew attended college at Stephen F. Austin State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing.
During his time at the university, Drew was a proud member of the Delta Kappa Chapter of Kappa Alpha Order, where he was appointed as the #1 for a term, and was recognized for his alumni service by being inducted to the Henry J. Mikell Court of Honor. Drew truly relished his time spent with his fraternity brothers, and often told stories of their college adventures. Drew worked as the Director of Utility Collection for the City of Lufkin Water Department for thirty-seven years.
Drew never missed a billing cycle until his last hospitalization, and took great pride in his work. As part of his duties, he would sometimes meet with customers who had issues with their bills, and would sit and talk with these customers for as long as it took to ensure they felt their issues were heard, and sometimes longer. When the customer left, they had a friend for life.
Drew was a life long lover of all things music. He played the trombone in the Lufkin High School Band, and, later, in community and church bands. Drew also played in the reorganized Hoo Hoo Band.
He was a member of the Lufkin Band Boosters, and helped form the Band Alumni Association, which provided scholarships for current band members going on to college. He enjoyed listening to classical music, as well as anything from the 60s and the 70s, especially The Beatles. He also loved to talk about music and share his passion for it with others.
One Christmas Eve, he gathered his son, Mark, and his 20 something year old friends to watch an hour long version of Richard Wagner’s, “The Ring”. While this would not be a typical thing for youngsters to enjoy, Drew had a way of sharing his passion that enthralled others, and all shared a great time. Drew also loved to quiz others on musical trivia, and would sit at the computer, playing song after song, and asking his audience to name the singer or band.
One of Drew’s favorite past times was telling stories. He could often be found in the center of any group, telling stories in great detail from his childhood, college years, and time in the bands in which he played. He often filled the two-hour drives to Houston with the telling of one story, never skipping a beat.
He was always smiling and laughing, and this was infectious to all those around him. Drew had a very unique way with people. Those who knew Drew always knew how special they were to him.
He was always there to brighten your mood with a joke, even in the worst of situations. Drew was diagnosed with ocular melanoma last year, resulting in the removal of his eye. He knew those close to him might have a hard time dealing with this, so he carried around a ping pong ball with an eye drawn on it, and, if he felt anyone was having a hard time, would throw the ping pong ball across the table or on the floor, pretending that his prosthetic eye fell out, and giggling as the other person chased his “eye” down.
Drew had a huge presence and will leave a gaping hole in the lives of the many people that loved him. May his stories continue to be told for generations. Survivors include his wife, Sally (Massingill) Squyres of Lufkin; sons and daughters-in-law, Mark and Katie Squyres of Lufkin, Scott and Rachel Rushing of Pflugerville; brother and sister-in-law, Trent and Charlene Squyres of Lufkin; sister and brother-in-law, Gayle and Jerry Quarles of Leander; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Betty and Bill Camp, Cathy and Andy Hankins, Bill Massingill, Robert and Beverly Massingill, Tommy and Rachel Massingill, Jim and Beth Massingill, all of Lufkin; and numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives.
He was preceded in death by his parents; son, Paul Trenton Squyres; and parents-in-law, Watson and Maurine Massingill. Pallbearers will be Mickey Bowser, Ken Seale, Rick Hollers, Webb Jenkins, Steve Malnar, Mike Bemus, Harvey Lazarine, John Hensley, Jim Alexander, and Byron Duncan. Memorial contributions may be made to the Lufkin High School Band Boosters, P.O. Box 342, Lufkin, Texas 75902, Lufkin High School Alumni Association Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 150837, Lufkin, Texas 75915, or the Kiwanis Club of Lufkin Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 155005, Lufkin, Texas 75915.
The family will welcome friends and loved ones from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday evening at the funeral home. Memories and condolences may be added, and live webcasting of the services may be viewed at www. carrowayfuneralhome.com.
Carroway Funeral Home, Lufkin, directors.
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