Joseph Drab

Joseph (Joe) Michael Drab, age 52, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. Beloved brother, son, nephew, cousin, and friend, Joe was preceded in death by his loving mother, Julie Drab; uncle, Clayton Ross; grandparents, Joann (“Bucky”) Fulcher and Richard (“Papa”) Fulcher; and his precious cat, Kayley. He is survived by his brothers, Stephen (Ed) Drab Townsend and David Drab; father, Stephen Drab; aunt, Kathy Ross; uncle, George (Lisa) Fulcher; nephews, Hayden and Tristen Townsend; and cousins, Kelley (Chris) Femia (Dominick, Anthony, Corinne), Julie (Tony) Harris (Olivia, Carter), Tracy (Tim) Gawry (Clayton, Eleanor, Emily), Michael Fulcher, and Christopher Fulcher.

Joe was born in 1968 in Pensacola, Florida. He spent his younger years in West Jefferson, Ohio before moving to Lauderhill, Florida with his family in 1980. He moved back to Ohio in 1988 and worked for a number of years at Ledo’s on North High before settling into his last job as a property maintenance technician at RiversEdge Corporate Center. Joe enjoyed working with Melinda, Bruce, and Boot during his seven years at RiversEdge and especially valued his time spent learning from Clayton and helping Kathy. He worked very hard and strove to be attentive to the tenants at the building, greeting them in the morning and walking them to their cars if it was dark outside. He will surely be missed by his RiversEdge family!

Joe enjoyed going to community festivals and training for the 2018 and 2019 Columbus Half-Marathons. He was always the first to volunteer to help hide Easter eggs and pass out gifts at Christmas. Called “Joe-Joe” by some, he never missed a family celebration, often wearing a t-shirt with a funny saying. He had a passion for cooking and was always at the helm of the BBQ for every family cookout. This love of cooking inspired his pastime of watching cooking shows and videos—Hell’s Kitchen and Bar Rescue were his favorite.

More than anything, Joe was generous with his time and always just a phone call away. He just wanted to help people and make them happy.

Private inurnment at Resurrection Cemetery.

A celebration of Joe’s life will appropriately be held as a cookout at RiversEdge Corporate Center, 1335 Dublin Road, Columbus, OH 43215 at the gazebo by the lake on Saturday, May 22, 2021 from 1:30 to 3:30.  

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in honor of their lifesaving work after Joe was critically injured in a bicycle accident as a child.

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