Our wonderful mother and grandmother, Wen-Hsing “Wen” Drew, passed away in the morning hours of October 19th, 2024. She was surrounded by loved ones at the time of her passing, and was 72 years young.

As a student in Taipei, Taiwan, she discovered her talent and love for the arts, which led to a successful career as a music, dance, and martial arts teacher. As a passionate educator, she inspired thousands of young people with her joyful and patient approach. During the 1975-76 school year, she was honored and awarded as the #1 choreographer and group dance instructor in all of Taiwan.

In 1980, she moved to the United States with her family and started a new life in Iowa. She was instrumental in the ownership and operation of the Sea Dragon Chinese Restaurant, a treasured local institution that operated for an unforgettable 18 years from 1979-1997.

She later brought her talents as a chef and mentor (along with a few secret Sea Dragon recipes) to Hy-Vee, where she was a multi-store Chinese Department Manager until her retirement in 2015. Customers and colleagues alike could not miss her infectious smile and upbeat demeanor, which constantly lifted up those lucky enough to be around her.

During her life, Wen was an avid lover of nature and travel. Some of her favorite adventures took her to the Grand Canyon, Lake Tahoe, Prince Edward Island, South Padre Island, the Black Hills, Yellowstone National Park, her native Taiwan, and more. Combined with her love of music, her travels led her to attend concerts by some of her favorite artists, including the Monkees, Genesis, Tom Jones, Little River Band, Neil Diamond, and many others.

Wen was a life-long learner. Even in retirement, she taught herself audio and video editing, amassing hundreds of YouTube followers, and an impressive number of copyright strikes for her homemade music videos.

Her love lives on through her two sons: Kevin with his partner, Jennifer Wagner, and their children, Jade Brinkman and Ozzy Drew; and Jason with his wife, Allison, and their children, Elliot and Avelyn (AJ).

She is also survived by her loving siblings, Wen-Chieh, David, Zen-Hsin, Jen-Hsin, and Fang-Hsin Chen.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Yu Yuan and Yen Hsiu Chen.

A celebration of Wen’s life will be held at Lighthouse Ministries (1333 4th Ave N, Fort Dodge, IA 50501) on Thursday October 24th. Visitation from 4-6pm. Service with Pastor John Elkin at 6pm. Wen’s family would like to invite you to stay for food and fellowship following the service.

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