John Drowatzky

1936 - 2025

News story
By Eric Taunton
Blade staff writer

John Drowatzky, a longtime University of Toledo professor known for his compassion and soft-spoken nature, died March 18 at Franciscan Care Center in Toledo. He was 88.

Daughters Kara Mancini and Katrina DuBose said their father died from complications with colon cancer, which spread to his liver. Mr. Drowatzky was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2024.

"For me, he was just my dad," Mrs. DuBose said. "He was a great dad. I know a lot of people that interacted with him. They felt like he was just a really good mentor. He definitely had a way of helping people and trying to give them advice without being pushy."

"He was kind of quiet, but he had a way of letting people know he cared about them, just by what he did," Mrs. Mancini said. "He just always looked out for other people and just kind of had a soft way about him, but he was just very kind and caring. I think people picked up on that."

His daughters added their father loved to travel, visiting all 50 states.

Mr. Drowatzky taught in the UT department of physical education beginning in 1965 and retired with professor emeritus status in 2000, his daughters said.

Mrs. DuBose and Mrs. Mancini said their father witnessed a lot of growth at the university.

The pair said he taught at the university before it became a state university in 1967 and saw the department of physical education start to grow into what it is today, Mrs. Mancini said.

He never planned on teaching at a college, Mrs. DuBose said

"His goal was to be a physical education teacher and a coach at the high school level," she said. "He always wanted to do teaching but, at the university, that was really not on his radar until his mentors in his master's [program] put that bug in his ear to think about getting a doctorate."

When he came to UT, Mr. Drowatzky earned his juris doctorate in 1979, his daughters said.

"I remember that period of time because I remember he would have his law books and he would be studying," Mrs. Mancini said. "I'd see him with these huge books and he'd be studying and studying and studying after work."

John Drowatzky was born on April 11, 1936, to Mark Leonard Drowatzky and Minnie Louise Drowatzky in Wichita, Kan., where he graduated from Wichita North High School in 1953.

While he was in high school, Mr. Drowatzky was a Boy Scout and Venturing Scout, his daughters said. He earned the rank of Eagle while a Boy Scout and received the silver explorer award while a Venturing Scout.

He attended the University of Kansas and graduated with a degree in physical education and social studies in 1957.

After graduating, Mr. Drowatzky served in the Army from 1958 to 1960 as an air defense missile unit administrative officer and an instructor for advanced officer courses. He was also a member of the unit VIP Briefing Team.

"At that time, all males had to serve," Mrs. DuBose said.

"In the 1990s, when Desert Storm happened, they were using all the air defense missiles and stuff," Mrs. Mancini said. "He was telling us about what they were doing, why they were doing it, those types of things."

Mr. Drowatzky married his wife, Linnea, in 1962 after they met in 1961, their daughters said. Mrs. Drowatzky died in 2020 after more than 57 years of marriage.

Mrs. Mancini and Mrs. DuBose said their parents met while attending the same church in Wichita.

"The pastor at the church asked him if he wanted to be in charge of a youth group or something," Mrs. Mancini said. "My dad's like, 'Well, I'd be interested in doing that, but I would like to do it with a female since there'd be girls and boys. It'd be me and a girl being in charge of this.' The pastor gave my dad my mom's name and address. He went to ask her if she would help him with this and she said 'yes.'"

Mrs. DuBose said even though Mrs. Drowatzky never met her husband before he showed up at her doorstep, she was very familiar with the rest of his family.

She said her mother had met his mother, brother, and some of his cousins.

"You could tell that they really had a lot of respect for each other, but then they would also pick on each other a little bit ... like tease each other," Ms. Mancini said of their parents. "They just had a really good relationship and what I noticed was that they always tried to keep good communication."

Mr. Drowatzky went on to the University of Oregon, where he graduated with a master's degree in physical education in 1962 and a doctorate in education from the same university in 1965, his daughters said.

After Mr. Drowatzky retired from UT, he would go on to volunteer for different organizations and institutions including Hope Lutheran Church, where he'd been a member since 1965, his daughters said.

He was the director of outreach ministry at the church for eight years and oversaw international missions, which included medical missions in Haiti, ministry missions to orphans in Romania, and building houses in El Salvador.

Mr. Drowatzky is survived by his daughters, Kara Mancini and Katrina DuBose; his brother, Earnest Drowatzky; his sister, Dora Ann Eckhoff; and one grandson.

A public memorial service was held at Hope Lutheran Church, 2201 Secor Rd., on Saturday. He'll be laid to rest privately at Ottawa Hills Memorial Park.

The family asks in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Hope Lutheran Church.