Drew Cutter Sleeper

FORT WORTH – Drew Cutter Sleeper, U.S. Air Force Lt Col (Ret) passed away Monday, July 22, 2019 at the age of 89 to be with his Lord and Savior.
Celebration of Life: 10:00 a.m. Saturday, August 17, 2019 at Ridgmar Place, 2151 Green Oaks Rd, Fort Worth, TX 76116
Graveside service: 2:00 p.m. Friday, August 16, 2019 at Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery
Memorials: In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. www.stjude.org/give
Drew was born on Saturday, March 8, 1930 in Bronxville, New York to Gordon and Martha Sleeper. He married Evelyn Chesbro from Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada on December 27, 1952.
Drew joined the Air Force in 1951 as an Aviation Cadet/Fighter Pilot Trainee. He flew a F-86 in Tucson, Arizona, Chitose, Japan and Naha Okinawa until 1959. In 1959 he was assigned to Carswell Air Force Base, Fort Worth as a B52 pilot. In 1964 Drew was assigned to Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, Massachusetts. During that time he was a Bomb Squadron Commander and had four six month tours in Vietnam as a B-52 pilot including 185 combat missions. In 1970 his career took him to Soesterberg, Holland as the Base Commander. In 1974 Drew was then transferred for a year to Nakhon Phanom, Thailand as the Special Operations Wing Plans Officer. In 1975 he received orders to Dyess Air Force Base, Abilene, Texas serving as Deputy Base Commander. After proudly serving his country Drew retired in 1980 in Abilene, Texas.
Drew and his wife, Evelyn owned and operated a successful retail store, The Kitchen Shop Etc. Several years later Evelyn decided that Drew was underfoot too much and suggested he go back to work some place. He then went to work for the City of Abilene as the Superintendent of Refuse Collection. In 1997 Drew fully retired to enjoy his life as a grandparent and traveling with his beautiful wife.
In March of 2016 Drew lost his wonderful wife of 63 years. Living in Abilene with lots of close friends he felt the need to move to Fort Worth to be closer to family. He moved into Brookdale Senior Living which later became Ridgmar Place where he happily resided for three years. Drew served as a Welcome Ambassador promoting all the center had to offer and encouraging new residents to attend events.
In addition to a wonderful career in the U.S. Air Force Drew received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H. and his Master Degree from Ball State University.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Evelyn Chesbro Sleeper, his parents, Gordon and Martha Sleeper, his siblings Gordon (Bud) C. Sleeper II and Phyllis Hammond.
Survivors: He survived by his three daughters, Leslie and husband Tim Ellis, Jennifer and husband David White, Shelby and husband Jeff Smith, as well as his 7 adored grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren, sister-in-law Emmy Lou Sleeper and numerous nieces and nephews and lots of friends in Abilene, and at Ridgmar Place.

Brown Owens & Brumley Family Funeral Home
425 S. Henderson St.
(817) 335-4557