Alexander Carey

Alexander Andrew "Drew" Carey, age 74, of Lenoir City, Tennessee, passed away on August 4, 2025, of natural causes. Drew was born in Nassau, Bahamas, to Robert and Gloria Carey on April 13, 1951. His father worked for the Department of State and he and his siblings spent parts of their childhood in Paraguay, Venezuela, Belgium, Norway, and other far-off places. Drew and his older brother Rob attended high school at St. Augustine's in Ramsgate, England before returning stateside for college.
Drew received a Bachelors in Chemistry from Notre Dame University. He then followed with a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Ohio. At the Ohio State University he met Julie, whom he would eventually marry and have two daughters. Continuing his pursuit of being the smartest person in the room, Drew also received a Masters in Environmental Engineering from the University of Tennessee while his children were in school. Drew spent his life continuing to learn as much as possible. He would often be found with a newspaper open on his lap, a magazine in his hand, and a news program (PBS or CNN) going in the background unless the radio was on NPR. He taught Chemistry at the college level and tutored many students over the years. Drew moved to Tennessee with Julie to work at K-25. He would eventually run his own company, AlChemiE and later become a consultant with multiple businesses in the medical industry. Drew was also a listed inventor on 18 U.S. patents.
Drew loved his daughters - Alice and Patty-and bragged about their accomplishments to anyone who would listen. Later in life he enjoyed spending his days with his son-in-law, Brett. He took great delight in spoiling his grandchildren-Bryton, Erik, Damian, Julie, Jaxson, and Tala. Every grandchild looked forward to visiting "grandpa's house of no rules," where screen time and sweets did not count. Erik especially enjoyed discussing history and political events, picking grandpa's brain for every bit of information.
Drew is predeceased by his parents, Robert Vincent Carey and Gloria Elizabeth Walde Carey, his sister, Mary Elizabeth Klaiber; his brother, Robert Raymond Carey; and his sister, Ginger Carey. He is survived by his daughters Alice (Brett) Dovel of Knoxville, TN and their children - Bryton, Erik, Damian, Julie, Jaxson and Tala-and Patty Carey of Vienna, Austria; wife Julie Carey of Knoxville, TN; his brother-in-law Wolf Klaiber of Ocoee, FL; his nephews Sean (Elena) Augustine of Miami, FL and Justin (Ilana) Levy of Portland, OR; his nieces Victoria (Mark) Cherpes of Vienna, VA, Lisa (Lyn) Carey-Davis of Bozeman, MT, Andrea Fama of Los Angeles, CA, and Colleen (David) Carey; and several much-loved grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
We who loved Drew are bereft. We will miss him forever, but we will be comforted by our memories of this remarkable father, grandfather, friend, and smartest person in the room for the rest of our lives. May his memory be a blessing.
Visitation will be Saturday, August 16, 2025, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Click Funeral Home, Farragut Chapel, 11915 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37934 with Memorial Service to follow at 1:00 PM.
In lieu on flowers, the family requests donations made to National Public Radio (NPR) in Drew's name. To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Alexander, please visit our Tree Store.