Sue Drake

(From Parker Mortuary)

Loretta “Sue” Drake, 75, of Joplin, passed away in her home on April 6th.

Sue was born in Denmark, Arkansas on April 22, 1949, to the late Carl Brown and Flora Bell (Owens) Brown. She was raised in and around parts of Michigan and the Waukegan, Illinois area, and Sue moved to the Joplin metro in the late ‘60s.

On July 25, 1970 she married Steve Drake. They had two sons, Chris and Mike. Sue was a doting and loving mother. Her creativity shone through when writing stories for her children, most notably “Chris and the Beast of Gwildor,” which featured her son and his ever-present stuffed koala.

Together, Steve and Sue owned and operated Drake Office Supply in Webb City for many years. Sue also worked at Freeman Hospital in their cancer registry / medical records department, until her retirement.

Besides caring for her family, Sue enjoyed many hobbies, including sewing, crafting, and genealogy. She enjoyed traveling, especially to Europe. She liked visiting museums. Sue was an avid reader who especially loved science fiction and horror, and she instilled a love of reading into both of her children.

Throughout her life, Sue faced more than her fair share of challenges, but she always persevered—right up until this last insurmountable challenge. She will be fondly remembered by her loved ones as a woman with a kind and quiet presence and an undeniable inner strength.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Steve, in 2001, and by siblings James, Nathan, Odell, and Carol. She is survived by her sons: Chris and his wife, Angela Stanley, of Kansas City; and Mike, of Joplin. Other survivors include her brother Wayburn and sister-in-law Marilyn, both of Bald Knob, Arkansas, sister Karen, of Texas, several nieces and nephews and cousins, and many friends.