Robert P. Drazkowski

In case you didn't know Bob, he's the guy you may have noticed tromping the Minnesota bluffs in search of ginseng or rattlesnake dens, hunting for deer, running his hounds, picking berries and nuts, or exploring. Or you may have seen him trapping muskrats, pulling setlines, checking turtle traps, fishing walleyes, or nature watching from his kayak on the Mississippi River bottoms. He's the guy that could get the party going with tunes on his banjo or turn up the volume for a night of clog dancing. This is the same guy that would meditate while playing his Indian flute on an overlook and preach spiritual beliefs that got people thinking.
He met Gwen Goetzman while singing around the piano bar with Denny Martin, and this odd couple formed a rich life together. With a houseful of dogs, they shared a quaint home in East Burns Valley with a variety of colorful room boarders for many years, before taking the leap to build a 13-sided self-sufficient home in the wilds of the Root River near Houston MN. In retirement, Bob and Gwen sought another adventure and found a hand-hewed log cabin on the fringes of the North Maine Woods of Aroostook County in northern Maine, where they made their final home together.
Bob was born and raised "east of the hogline" to James and Pauline(Snow)Drazkowski when Winona was still rough and wild. He was a unique blend of Scottish Irish mother from Maine and father that was Minnesota Polish, both sides of which had good stories he was more than willing to tell.
He is pre-deceased by his parents and too many well-loved relatives. He is survived by loved ones of great importance to him, but closest are his wife and partner Gwen of Ashland Maine, his brother and best friend David Drazkowski with daughter Amanda of Winona, sister Melinda Hines and her daughter Heather of Levant Maine, and sister Barbara Lightfoot of Ankeny Iowa.
For those that knew him, "Banjo" Bob left an empty hole when he went to reside with our Creator. He's the guy that will be playing the banjo and dancing when we meet him again in heaven.
Interment will be at a later date at St. Mary's Cemetery in Winona. Feel free to put on some Hank Sr. or Ralph Stanley music to celebrate his life and the influence he had in yours.