In Loving Memory of Drew McLean Bartender at Snappers on the Water • Graduate of Howell High School
The passing of Drew McLean leaves a deep and painful quiet in the lives of all who knew him. To say that Drew will be missed does not begin to capture the truth — a presence as warm, steady, and generous as his does not disappear without leaving something unmistakable behind.
To many, Drew was the familiar face behind the bar at Snappers on the Water, where his quick wit, easy laugh, and unmistakable warmth made friends out of strangers every day. There was a sense of relief and recognition when you walked in and saw Drew — as though you had arrived somewhere you were already known. He made the space feel lighter, easier, and more human simply by being in it.
Born and raised in the Howell community, and a proud graduate of Howell High School, Drew carried forward the grounded loyalty and small-town spirit that shaped him. No matter how wide his circle grew, he never lost that rooted kindness. He remembered people — not just their faces, but their names, stories, struggles, and joys. He helped people feel seen in a world where it is too easy to feel invisible.
But Drew was never defined solely by his job or the role most people saw. He was a cherished son, a loyal sibling, a steady co-worker, and a deeply trusted friend. He was the one people told the truth to — the one who could absorb a heavy moment without judgment and still find a way to bring levity when it was needed most. In countless quiet, consistent, often unnoticed ways, he showed up for people. The space his absence leaves is not something that can be measured.
Life, in all its unevenness, rarely gives us guarantees — only chances to make the days we’re given matter. Drew did that without fanfare. He made the world better not through spectacle but through the simple, daily human acts that endure: kindness without expectation, laughter freely shared, patience offered, and belonging created where there was none before.
As we mourn this tremendous loss, may we let Drew’s way of being continue in us:
—to greet people with warmth instead of distance,
—to choose friendliness over indifference,
—to make room at the table or barstool beside us,
—and to treat ordinary interactions as opportunities to lift someone else’s spirit.
May his memory live on in the stories told, in the community he helped knit together, and in the way we choose to show up for one another in his honor.
With love, with gratitude, and with heavy hearts — we remember Drew McLean.
Gone far too soon. Remembered always.
