John Mark Drexler - the Early Years

Dad's been busy this week with a funeral he had today for my brother-in-law's grandpa who passed away on Sunday, so I haven't tried talking to him this week because of that. So, I thought I'd just post a couple pictures I found when we were in IN back in April. I know there's not a whole lot he could probably even tell me about these pictures, because they were both taken in 1948 and he was just so young then. The top one, he looks to be 6-7m old. Since he was born in Aug, this would be late winter/early spring - thus the coat. You can see in the background is the church that his dad pastored for over 50 yrs. I loved going to that little church when we were in Runnemede on vacations. I don't think I ever actually heard my grandpa preach, because he always had my dad do it when we were there, but it was a very warm and welcoming congregation and you could always see the love they had for my dad and likewise for my mom and for us. I haven't been to that church since my grandpa's memorial service was held there 9 years ago, but it will always have a special place in the hearts of those who went there. Particularly my dad and his family.

The next picture, like I said, was also taken in 1948, but I'm guessing dad is probably about 1 here. He's being supported by his oldest sister Judi and his sister Debbie is behind him. I'm guessing grandma was pregnant with his brother about this time, because I think they are only a little over a year apart. But, I could be wrong on that one. My grandma was never supposed to be able to have children and for the first few years of their marriage, they didn't. But, then ended up having 4 children. All within a few years. So, they were really blessed to have the family they did. And, those Drexler kids were just soooo cute! I love looking at pictures of my dad and his brother and sisters back then. Just adorable! I need to ask him sometime when his birth stats were. I wonder if he even remembers. I just know he was born on August 23, 1947 and he was the first boy of the family. His mom wanted to name him "Mark" and his dad wanted to name him "John", so they named him "John Mark" and called him "Mark". That's why if you ever meet someone from NJ or anyone in his family, they all call him "Mark". It wasn't until he went to college, that he started going by John. I think he started doing that at PCB (Philadelphia College of Bible - now called something else) and not later at Grace College, where he went to seminary. He met my mom at PCB and she's always called him John, so I think he must've started that there. Anyway, just a little something to share this week about my dad, since I haven't been able to chat with him lately. I always love sharing pictures. I think it helps bring our families and stories to life more. :-)

The Shore

The first time my dad ever went to the shore, it was with his Uncle Joe Egitto. He thinks he was a 3rd grader at the time, because he knows it was before he got glasses and wasn’t able to see very well. He drove all 4 of the kids (Carl, Debbie, Judi, and dad), along with his mom and Aunt Anne (Joe’s wife), down to Ocean City. This was before the freeway was put in, so it was quite a drive. The first time dad saw the ocean, he was scared of it. It was so vast that he didn’t want to go in it. He remembers his sister Judi walking with him down to the water to help him not to be nervous about going in. He kept his head down, so he couldn’t see how big it was. He eventually got over that and learned to enjoy the ocean, but that first experience was a scary one for him. Later they had lunch. He had his very first hot turkey sandwich. He said he still drools when he thinks of it, because it was so delicious. Up until that point, it was the best meal he had ever had in his whole life and he thought to himself if he could have a hot turkey sandwich like that every day of his life, he would be happy forever. Guess that’s as good a goal as any for a 9 yr old. ;-) His Uncle Joe paid for everything that day. He paid for lunch, bought them all salt water taffy, and he remembers that he even gave all the kids a dollar each to spend. His Uncle Joe took them on several trips and was always so patient with them. Even when they would be driving and his brother Carl and he would yell at motorists they would pass "We beat you, mister!!" and point at them and laugh. He always just let it all slide off his back. And, that first trip to the shore was a really wonderful one of those trips where his Uncle Joe made things really special for him.