Obituary of William James Drury

William James Drury, 72, of Minneapolis, died on September 16, 2022, of complications from Fragile X Tremor Ataxia Syndrome (FXTAS).

Bill (or Billy if you were in his inner circle!) was born in 1950 to Bill & Betty Drury. In 1969 he married Rita Grandbois, and in 1971 and 1974 they welcomed daughters Shannon and Leah respectively.

After an illustrious career in the garbage arts at BFI and Waste Management, Bill found his true calling with the arrival of his four beloved grandchildren. He loved introducing them to things that brought him joy over his lifetime: Valleyfair, Minnehaha Falls, classic rock & roll, donuts, motorcycles, action movies, the North Shore, geology, ice cream, bowling, coin collecting, politics, comics, Mad magazine, fishing in all seasons, playing softball, regularly donating blood, the Twins, WWII spy novels, golf, pizza, and seizing opportunities for fun whenever possible. His Donald Duck impression alone made them the happiest kids in the world—and the luckiest, too.

Bill was predeceased by his parents and his beloved dogs Sammy, Daisy, and Ginger.

Bill is survived by his wife Rita; daughters Shannon (Matt Black) and Leah (Dave Dobish); grandchildren Elliott and Miriam Black, Aidan and Hadley Dobish. He is also survived by his siblings Diana (Bernie) Bauman, Mike Drury, Patrick (Jenni) Drury, and Katie Drury, and many cherished nieces, nephews, extended family members and friends.

A memorial service will be held at 10 am on Monday, September 26 at the Cremation Society of Minnesota, 4343 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis. A donut reception will follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to the FXTAS Research Fund at the UC Davis MIND Institute, where Bill was once a research patient, and where much-needed research studies continue to be conducted to understand and treat this condition. Checks, made payable to UC Davis Foundation with FXTAS Research Fund in memory of William J. Drury written in the memo line, can be mailed to: UC Davis Advancement Services, 202 Cousteau Place #185, Davis, CA 95618. Donations can also be made securely online at

https://tinyurl.com/5dn4uepf