Obituary

Andrews M. Wilkinson, Jr., born in New Orleans February 17, 1945, died November 10, 2019, surrounded by family at Providence Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska, after a brave battle with leukemia. The second-oldest in a military family, "Drews," as he was known to friends and relatives, attended schools across the country and overseas. For a few, intermittent years, however, his maternal and paternal grandparents, as well as many first cousins living in New Orleans, enjoyed his company when he attended Holy Name of Jesus school, while his Dad, a Marine Corps officer, was stationed in Okinawa and in Hawaii. Drews attended Quantico Post High School in Quantico, VA, and Bishop D.J. O'Connell High School in Arlington, VA, where he lettered in football and swimming, then returned to New Orleans to attend Tulane University. Drews later spent a year travelling and living in Europe. While overseas, he participated in archeological "digs" in southern England and lived in Orleans, France. Shortly after his return to the United States, he settled in New Orleans, where he met and married his wife of 51 years, Janet LeBlanc, originally of Covington and Abita Springs, LA. Traveling extensively through the United States, Canada, Europe, and India, Drews was a spiritual seeker, exploring both Eastern and Western philosophies, while raising four daughters with Janet, and supporting her throughout her medical education. He was a multi-talented Renaissance man who worked in a variety of fields during his life: as a sugar broker at S.H. Livaudais & Sons in New Orleans; as a mud engineer in Lafayette, Louisiana, and throughout the Gulf of Mexico; and as a consultant in 18th and 19th century European art at a French Quarter gallery. He and his family moved to Eagle River, Alaska in 1997, where two daughters and four of their nine grandchildren live. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Janet LeBlanc Wilkinson of Eagle River, Alaska; four daughters, Lisa Wilkinson (Morgan Hall), of Rome, Italy; Zoë Wilkinson (Dee Sheppard), of St. Petersburg, Florida; Jahnava Erickson, and Sarah Wilkinson, both of Anchorage. Also, his sister, Ann Wilkinson Yarbrough, of Bay St. Louis, MS; three brothers, Sam L. Wilkinson, of Waveland, MS; Mike Wilkinson, of Clinton, MS; and Chris Wilkinson, of Pensacola, FL. Drews was predeceased by his mother, Mercedes Livaudais Wilkinson, and his father, Col. Andrews M. Wilkinson. A funeral Mass was held at St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Eagle River on Thursday, November 14. The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, any donations be made in his memory to Catholic Social Services of Alaska, 3710 East 20th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99508.