Augustus “Red” Drywa, age 85, of Warwick, died on Tuesday, December 13, 2016. He was the husband of late Kathleen “Kaye” (Cotter) Drywa. They were married for 60 years.
Born in Hempstead, Long Island, NY, a son of the late Augustus P. and Elizabeth (Reynolds) Drywa, he grew up in the Darlington area of Pawtucket, and moved to Warwick in 1962. He was a 1949 graduate of Saint Raphael’s Academy in Pawtucket, and an Air Force Veteran of the Korean War. Red was employed as a janitorial supply salesman for 30 years, retiring in 1999. He also worked part-time at St. Benedict Church in Warwick for 13 years. Red was a long-time communicant of St. Benedict Church, and served as a lector and Eucharistic minister. He was an active member and Past Grand Knight of Warwick Council Knights of Columbus, and a past president of the Warwick Columbus Club.
He is survived by five children, Mark J. and his wife, Debra of Warwick, Paul J. of Warwick, Beth and her companion, Teddy of Cranston, Todd J. and his wife, Lauri of Uxbridge, MA, and Erin K. Cabral and her husband, David of Fayetteville, NC. He was the brother of Michael F. Drywa and his wife, Diane of Pawtucket, and brother-in-law of Sr. Suzanne Cotter, PBVM, of Sioux Falls, SD. He is also survived by four granddaughters, one great-granddaughter and two great-grandsons.
His funeral was held on Monday, December 19, from the Barrett & Cotter Funeral Home, 1328 Warwick Avenue, Spring Green, Warwick, with a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Benedict Church, 135 Beach Avenue, Warwick. Burial with military honors was at the Rhode Island Veterans Cemetery, Exeter.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to Hope Hospice & Palliative Care RI, 1085 North Main Street, Providence, RI 02904. www.barrettandcotter.com
