Michael Patrick Drea, 60, of Taylorville passed away at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 7, 2017 at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. He was born on May 13, 1957 in Taylorville, the son of Patrick E. and Marjorie L. (Rhodes) Drea. Mike married Kathy Nolan on September 7, 1985 at St. Mary’s Church in Taylorville. He graduated from South Fork High School in 1975. He earned his Bachelor’s in Accounting from Sangamon State University in Springfield and went on to receive his MBA from there in 1982 and is also a Certified Procurement Buyer. Mike worked for the State of Illinois for 32 years, including 25 years in the Comptroller’s Office and later for the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission at the Department of Transportation as a Procurement Officer/State Purchasing Officer retiring in 2013. Mike was an active member of the Christian County Democrat Party and strongly believed in public service at the local level. He was elected to the Christian County Board in 1992, serving as Vice Chairman in 1996 until 1998 and Chairman from 1998 until 2000. While on the board, he served on the Executive/Personnel Committee and the Audit/Finance Committees. Throughout his 18 years of service on the Board, Mike was most proud of his efforts to streamline the board by reducing the number of members. He later was unanimously appointed and sworn in as the Christian County Treasurer on June 3, 2013.
Mike had a passion for serving his community and was proud to be active in many organizations throughout the years. He has served as Director of the Christian County Agricultural Fair Association for 31 years. For several years he served on the CEFS Economic Opportunity Corporation Board of Directors, the Langleyville Water Board, and was an active member of Midland Community Bank Board, and the Taylorville Community Garden. He proudly participated in the American Lung Association Fight for Air Climb at the Springfield Hilton for 7 years. Mike was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus.
Mike loved coaching his sons’ teams, and did so for the St. Mary’s School Basketball program and Red Bland Little League and Pony League as well as a traveling team. He participated in Tae Kwon Do for several years with his sons, earning his 1st Degree Black Belt. He was an avid racquetball player and a diehard fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Fighting Illini.
He loved to travel with his family, especially to Ireland, Jamaica, and many national parks. Mike was a dog lover, especially his dog Macy. Above all, Mike was a loving husband, and incredibly proud of his sons.
Mike is survived by his wife: Kathy Drea of Taylorville; sons: Nolan Drea of Springfield and Ryan Drea of New York City; mother: Marjorie Drea of Taylorville; brother: John (Brenda) Drea of Jacksonville; niece: Kelsey (Robert) Hostert of Peoria; nephew Thomas Drea of Peoria; and mother-in-law: Mary Nolan of Taylorville. He was preceded in death by his father: Patrick Drea and father-in-law: Donald Nolan.
A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Taylorville with Monsignor David Lantz and Fr. Braden Maher officiating. Burial will take place in Oak Hill Cemetery in Taylorville. Visitation will be held on Tuesday from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the church. Memorials may be made to St. Mary’s Catholic School or the Taylorville Community Garden. McClure Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Taylorville is handling arrangements. Memories of Mike, or condolences to the family, may be left online at www.mcclurefuneralhome.com
