NEWARK - Andrew J. "Drew" Ostroski, III, of Newark, and formerly of Lewes, passed away on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020.
Drew was born on March 17, 1967, in King of Prussia, Pa., but moved to Lewes when he was very young. He considered himself a Delaware native and was proud of it. He was a 1985 graduate of Cape Henlopen High School where he played baseball and soccer. He majored in journalism at the University of Delaware where he met lifelong friends, worked as the Sports Editor of The Review, and eventually met Janell, the love of his life.
He had a long career in journalism in Delaware working for the Delaware State News and The Whale and, most recently, as Managing Editor for 17 years at Delaware Today Magazine, where he won numerous awards for his headline writing. He took pride in the fact that he knew more about Delaware than anyone else around. Drew will be terribly missed by his friends and family.
Drew loved his family more than anything else. He was immensely proud of his children and always told people his biggest accomplishment in life was helping to raise two smart, well-adjusted, successful children. He bragged about them to anyone who would listen. He had a passion for photography, especially taking pictures of Delaware wildlife. He shared this passion with Audrey and taught her to be an awesome photographer. He often boasted that she was better than him. He also had a passion for sports. He especially enjoyed watching Audrey and Jake play for their club soccer teams, for their Padua and Salesianum high school soccer teams, and for Canal Little League. He was a diehard Philly fan and shared this passion with Jake. He often boasted that Jake knew more about sports than he did, which was difficult for him to admit. He was extremely proud of his wife's career and tireless work ethic. He enjoyed listening to old-school country music, watching Star Wars movies, and visiting Lewes.
He is survived by his devoted wife, Janell, of 24 years; and two children, Audrey and Jake, all of Newark; his parents, Andy and Sharon Ostroski; his brother and sister-in-law, Mark and Loretta Ostroski; his niece and nephew, Sydney and Jackson Ostroski; his uncle and aunt, CJ and Ginny Rickards, all of Lewes; and his cousin, Katie Rickards, and her wife, Jenn Harpel, and their son, Jason Harpel-Rickards, of Rehoboth Beach; as well as numerous in-laws, nieces, and nephews.
A visitation for family and friends will be held from 10 a.m. until noon on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, at Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Home, 121 West Park Place, Newark, where a memorial service will begin at noon. Interment will be held privately.
Instead of flowers, the family requests donations to two of the places Drew loved most: Cape Henlopen State Park or Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge.