Drake Edwin Wilburn, Sr

Drake Edwin Wilburn, 74, passed away at his home, surrounded by his family, on November 10, 2024.

Drake was born May 23, 1950, in Houston Texas, to parents Earl and Edna Wilburn. He was the fourth of six children, preceded in birth by his sisters, Jeanette and Bebe, and brother, Brandt, followed in birth by sisters, Bonnie and Patricia. Drake’s childhood stories relate a deep love of family, of loyalty, and of humor. From a young age, Drake developed a strong work ethic, a love of learning, and a healthy sense of adventure. 

Drake attended Sam Houston High School, home of the Tigers, graduating in 1968. After high school, he briefly attended Texas A&I University in Kingsville, TX (now known as Texas A&M), prior to enlisting in the US Air Force, in 1969. He was initially stationed in San Antonio, TX, then transferred to Denver, CO, and then to McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, CA, in 1969. Drake was part of the esteemed 1155th Technical Operations Squadron, whose mission was to provide worldwide support and deployment of specialized equipment and support personnel, in maintaining the McClellan Central Laboratory. Drake actively served four years and honorably discharged in 1975.

Drake met his wife, Beth, in 1969, in Sacramento, CA. They married in the spring of 1970. They were blessed with four children, Drake Jr, Melissa, Stephen, and Kelly, and eight grandchildren, Hannah (White), Liviana (Deyo), Kyle (Wilburn), Tyler (Wilburn), Jasem (Deyo), Joseph (Martin), Tian (Deyo), and Wesley (Wilburn). 

In 1973, Drake began his 42-year career as a mail-carrier at the United States Post Office, and, at the time of his retirement, was the most senior employee in the Sacramento area. He enjoyed the exercise of his walking routes and formed long-lasting friendships with his coworkers and patrons. He was well-liked by all, except for the occasional dog.

Drake was a hard-worker and loved learning new things. While working full-time at the US Post Office, he took night classes at American River College and obtained his AA degree in Data Processing. Drake was a self-taught handy-man, electrician, mason, car mechanic, and architectural designer. He took on the huge project of adding on to his home, doubling the square feet, doing almost all of the work himself, from drawing up architectural blueprints, to hanging sheetrock. He was known for his excellent gardening skills, which produced the best organic tomatoes his family has ever had and which he happily shared with friends, coworkers, and neighbors. He was an artist. He taught himself how to play the piano, the guitar. He loved to sing. His family has fond memories of him singing karaoke, with family or during his neighborhood Fourth of July parties. A few of his signature songs included Elvira, You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling, and, our favorite, Unchained Melody, by the Righteous Brothers. He was a poet and, on Christmas eve, enjoyed having his children read his rendition of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. He was a painter and illustrator. Nearing retirement, Drake took several art classes at American River College, and was published in The American River Review (2005). 

Drake enjoyed adventure and being outdoors. His favorite vacations were camping at Salt Point and visiting relatives on the Texas Gulf Coast. His fishing poles were brought with him on day trips to Auburn and Forest Hill. He was an avid scuba and skin diver, and his family enjoyed the bounty of these expeditions, with abalone, sea bass, and cabezon dinners by the firepit. He enjoyed white water rafting, hiking, painting plein air, long car rides just looking at the scenery. 

Drake will be deeply missed by his family and friends. He will be remembered for his humor, his laughter, his puns and Dad jokes. “What do you call more than one tank?” (answer: tanks) “You’re welcome”. 

Drake is survived by his wife, Beth, his children, Drake Jr (Cheryle, Kyle, Tyler), Melisssa (Brian, Liviana, Jasem, Tian), Stephen (Wesley), and Kelly (Mike, Hannah, Joseph), his siblings, Jeannette, Brandt, Bonnie, and Patricia, and many (100+) nieces, nephews, and greats.

Drake is now reunited with his parents, Earl and Edna, his step mother, Laura, and his sister Bebe.

As we hold memories of Drake, we are reminded of the impact he had on those around him, and, though Drake is no longer with us, his memory will live on through memories shared by his loved ones and the legacy he left behind.

May we find comfort in knowing that Drake will never truly be gone as long as we keep his memory alive in our hearts and minds.

We say farewell for now, but we will never forget you. May you rest in peace, and may we continue to honor your memory by living our lives to the fullest. 

His family would like to thank the staff at RC Hospice for all their care and support.

A private celebration of Drake’s life will be held at a later date.