Obituary of Natalie B. Drewes

Natalie B. Drewes passed away on March 5, 2022, at the age of 98, under hospice care at Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks, following an extended period of declining health.  She was a 59 year resident of Port Hueneme/ Ventura County and truly loved the area.

Natalie B. Sawitski was born on Jan 3, 1924 in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania the second of eight children to Mary Kruzick and Joseph Sawitski.

Following the Great Depression, Natalie moved from PA to New York City to live with her Aunt, Helen Kruzick, which afforded her the opportunity to meet the “true love of her life”, William E. Drewes…as the stories go…it was “love at first sight” for both and they were married on June 3, 1944 in New York City. 

They lived and worked in various places on both coasts of the US and traveled abroad during their life together, living for an extended period in the Los Angeles area and finally settling in Ventura County, CA.  Natalie and Bill raised one child, Donna N. Drewes, while living in the Hueneme Bay area.

Natalie was predeceased by her husband Bill and all of her siblings, except for Sylvia Dennis of Shillington, PA.

Natalie is also survived by her daughter, Donna, son-in-law, Jonathan Baum and granddaughter, Samantha Drewes Baum, all of Milton, MA.  Her granddaughter, Samantha was truly the light of her life and Natalie spent extended periods of time in MA staying with her family and enjoying the company of her “ray of sunshine” as she liked to refer to Samantha.

There was never a dull moment when Natalie was around, she had boundless energy, her own ideas and a independent personality, lived for travel & new adventures and was genuinely interested in meeting new people and hearing their life stories.  She loved her family and friends passionately and had the distinction of living the life she chose to live, in the way she saw fit, for 98 years!

 A small prayer service will be held on Thurs, 3/10 at 10:30 AM at: Rose Family Funeral Home, 4444 Cochran Street, Simi Valley, CA with burial to follow at 12:30 PM at Los Angeles National Cemetery, 950 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles.  This is a military cemetery with floral restrictions, so in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Natalie’s memory to the American Heart Association at heart.org.