Jeffrey Drake

Jeffrey Steven Drake, age 42, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 14, 2021, at SSM Hospital surrounded by his loving family after a short battle with lung cancer.

He was born November 8, 1979 in Iowa City, Iowa to Steven Drake and Barbara Severeide. He was joined by his brother, Bradley Drake, in 1981 and his brother, Matthew Drake, in 1985.  As a child, Jeff loved playing outdoors.  He especially loved playing baseball, and you could usually find him at the local ballpark with his brothers and friends.

Jeff moved to Sun Prairie with his parents and brothers in 1987 and graduated from Sun Prairie High School in 1998.  He continued his education at UW Whitewater for a year and University of Iowa for two years, before returning home to Sun Prairie.  He began his career in manufacturing at Trachte Building systems in 2003.  During this time, he met his wife, Amiee.  Their mutual love of rock music solidified their relationship and their love story began.  After leaving Trachte Building Systems he joined the team at American Packaging Corporation in Columbus in 2009.  He enjoyed going out for beers with his buddies to discuss sports and trade jokes after a long shift.

He married Amiee Drake on May 14, 2011.  It was a special day filled with love, laughter, and a lot of dancing.  It was a great chance for Jeff to showcase his awesome dance moves.  His daughter, Alyssa Drake was born June 1, 2012.  In 2014 Jeff and his family moved to Marshall, WI and his son, Owen Drake, was born on July 18, 2014.  Jeff’s kids were the center of his world.  He was a great Dad and enjoyed every moment he was with them.  He loved attending the yearly Daddy Daughter dance with Alyssa; even though his dance moves didn’t impress her as much as his wife.  He loved playing any sport with Owen.  They would often go to the local ballpark to show off their batting and pitching skills on the empty diamond.

A busy life with two kids didn’t stop Jeff and Amiee from having some fun also.  They loved going to rock concerts and would go to many shows each year.  Jeff was always on the lookout for live performances of their favorite bands.

Jeff’s personal interest was sports; any kind of sport; but he especially loved his Iowa Hawkeyes.  He would always say “Go Hawks” to any stranger passing by that had a tiger hawk logo visible on any piece of clothing. He had an uncanny ability to remember the most obscure sports facts.  He also really loved participating in his fantasy football teams.

On October 16, 2021, after a sudden hospitalization, they received the devastating news that Jeff had a very rare lung cancer.  His family rallied around him and they all joined the fight for his life. Unfortunately, despite wonderful medical care, Jeff passed away on December 14, 2021 at 12pm.

Jeff left an indelible mark on everyone he encountered.  He was a great son, brother, husband, father, and friend.  He was always there to hand you a beer and tell you a joke. He will be dearly missed but we will remember him always.

Jeff is survived by his wife, Amiee; his 2 children: Alyssa and Owen; mother, Barb Severeide; father, Steve Drake; and two brothers: Brad and Matt.  He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents: Robert and Verna Severeide, and his paternal grandparents: Thomas and Phyllis Drake.

For those that would like to honor Jeff’s memory with a financial contribution, gifts can be made to assist the family at http://everloved.com/life-of/jeffrey-drake/donate/