Andrew C. "Drew" Soltys

1949 - 2021

Drew Soltys, age 71 of Newington, passed away on Saturday, January 2, 2021 at St. Francis Hospital. Drew was born in Hartford on February 15, 1949 to the late Andrew and Irene Soltys. He graduated from Hartford High School in 1967, where he was affectionately known on the basketball court as "the white guy". His love of the game earned him a scholarship to Fairfield University, where he played ball and studied sociology and psychology. As a student, he worked at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and travelled to Europe. He fondly recalled visiting the Tivoli Gardens and crossing the Berlin Wall. After college, Drew volunteered at the Revitalization Corps and travelled south to march with Dr. King, one of his proudest moments. He then worked for the Model Cities program and taught sociology at the adult night school at Hartford High. He also served as an elected member of the Hartford Board of Education. For the remainder of his career, Drew was employed by the State of Connecticut Department of Education as a consultant in vocational education, retiring in 2011. For the last several years, he enjoyed working part-time for the Connecticut state legislature. Drew's greatest joy was his family. He is survived by Faye, his beloved wife of 40 years, his deeply adored children Jessica and Graham, and his precious dog Annie. He will be remembered warmly by his close friends and family members. Drew's family extends their sincere gratitude to the dedicated staff at St. Francis Hospital and Cancer Center, especially Dr. Syed Bilgrami, Dr. Steven Lane, and Patrick from the Palliative Care Unit, and to the team at Bel-Air Manor. A private funeral and interment will be arranged by Newington Memorial Funeral Home. To view the livestream, please visit the following link on Friday, January 8, at 11am: https://my.gather.app/remember/andrew-soltys. A memorial will be held in Drew's honor when it's safe to gather again. In lieu of flowers, donations to benefit the Cancer Center may be made to St. Francis Foundation, 95 Woodland Street, 2nd floor, Hartford, CT 06105. May Drew's memory be a source of strength and a blessing. To share a memory with his family, please visit www.duksa.net.