Edward Stephen Dravecky, Jr., died September 21, 2022, in Huntsville, Alabama. He was 81. Son of the late Ed Dravecky and Peggy Sheridan, he grew up in New Jersey, graduated from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School in 1958, and played bridge at Newark State Teachers College. In 1959 he moved to Alabama to attend Athens College, where he earned a B.S. in Education in 1962 and an M.A. in Teaching in 1969. In the summers, he worked at YMCA camps, notably Camp Talcott in Huguenot, New York.
A passionate believer in public education, he taught in Huntsville city schools for 45 years, first at Joe Bradley and then Davis Hills. He was the first teacher hired for Grissom High School, where he taught for 38 years. He mostly taught U.S. history and was heavily involved in student activities. His “fat notes” are still widely circulated around the country. He was also very active in the community as a parent and as a leader and trainer in the Boy Scouts of America. Over the years he received numerous honors and awards for his teaching and volunteer work, none more meaningful than the gratitude expressed by former students and Scouts whose lives he helped shape.
In 2007 he took off his watch and happily retired to a life not controlled by bells. He read, worked on his model train layout, watched old cowboy movies, organized his coin collection, and made monthly trips to Albany, Georgia, to spoil his grandsons. In 2014, he went blissfully into hyper-grandpa mode when his son Matt got a job in Huntsville and moved back home with his family.
He was preceded in death by his older son Eddy and by his brother Bob. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Eve Kessler, and their son Matt, daughter-in-law Nicole, and grandsons Matthew and Joseph.
Visitation will be at Holy Spirit Catholic Church on Thursday, September 29, between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m., followed by a funeral mass and procession to Maple Hill Cemetery for burial.
Memorial donations may be made to the Rose of Sharon soup kitchen, 723 Arcadia Circle NW, Huntsville, Alabama 35801 (roseofsharonsoupkitchen.org); Still Serving Veterans, 626 Clinton Ave W, Unit 200, Huntsville, AL 35801 (ssv.org); a homeless advocacy group or favorite local charity.
