Andrew Draus Biographies & Genealogy

4 Andrew Draus Biographies

Andrew R Draus Dec 24, 1918 - Jul 4, 1992 Lockport, Illinois

Andrew R Draus of Lockport, Will County, IL was born on December 24, 1918, and died at age 73 years old on July 4, 1992.

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Andrew Draus Jul 19, 1901 - Sep 1986 South Holland, Illinois

Andrew Walter Draus was born in Chicago, on Dekoven Street (the same street where the Chicago fire originated) in 1901. His parents were Frank and Martha (Olijar) Draus), both immigrants from Europe. Frank was from part of Poland that was partitioned to Austria. They moved from Chicago to a farm on the Wisconsin River in Mauston County, Wisconsin (near Juneau) and later farmed in StarkeCounty, Indiana. Andrew had siblings: John, Frank and Helen. Their father died in 1922 and is buried in St. Jacob cemetery, North Judson. At 17, Andrew enlisted in the army and served during WWI in Panama. After the war, he tried several different jobs, including working in a logging camp in Michigan's upper peninsula. Eventually, he enrolled in a correspondence course to learn how to "letter"- sign painting and pinstriping. He was hired for jobs around North Judson, including lettering the front window of the bank in North Judson. After completing the course, he was hired by Chicago Surface Lines, which is known today as the CTA. He worked his entire career here, lettering street cars and then buses, and retired as a foreman. His mother sold the Indiana farm and moved back to Chicago (whether this was before or after or with Andrew is not clear). In 1926, Andrew married Anna Opyt, daughter of Frank and Regina (Madon) Opyt, in Chicago. In 1929, just before the historic stock market crash and the start of the depression, he built a house on Perry Avenue in Chicago. Here, they raised four children: Richard, Bernard (Pete), Thomas and Virginia (Betty). Andrew continued to work for Chicago Surface Lines through the depression, doing side jobs of sign painting and lettering trucks at his home. At some point, Andrew was a candidate for Chicago Alderman (as a democrat?), but lost the general election. Relaying it as a "miserable experience", he never again agreed to be a political candidate for any office. Andrew and Anna later built a cabin on Lake Dalecarlia, near Crown Point, Indiana, roughly 40 miles from their Perry Avenue home. They sold the cabin in the early '50's). Later selling their house on Perry Avenue, they built a new brick ranch home in South Holland, on Indiana Avenue. The property is today part of the grounds of South Suburban Community College. When the college bought them out in 1969, they lifted the house (minus an attached garage) and moved it to 15201 East Riverside Drive, at the western border of South Holland (the suburb, Harvey, is just across the street). The house is still there today. After retirement, Andrew spent more time in his wood-heated shop behind the house. Here, he still took on jobs painting signs and vehicles and enjoyed a lot of woodworking. Andrew died in 1986 and is buried in a crypt at Holy Cross Cemetery in Calumet City, with the funeral from St. Jude parish. His wife, Anna, passed some years later and is interred with him.

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