Jean Elizabeth Drawdy

August 17, 1952- February 20, 2026

Jean passed away peacefully on Friday, February 20, surrounded by her family and friends. Born in Savannah, GA, Jean spent most of her adult life in the Atlanta area, living in Virginia Highlands for many years and then moving to Alpharetta. She was an incredibly intelligent, adventurous and independent woman who loved her family and friends fiercely.  She is preceded in death by her parents Louis Drawdy and Elizabeth Drawdy (Miller).  Jean went to GA Tech at a time when females were housed on one floor in one dormitory and the ratio of men to women was 40:1. Jean earned her undergraduate and advanced degrees in Chemical Engineering at GA Tech and then went on to do doctorate work with surface science at the University of Florida. 

Jean had a diverse career span working at the Georgia Crime Lab and in the Microelectronics Research Center at Georgia Tech to being a Surface Production Engineer and a Senior Solutions Consultant implementing software for hospitals.

For those who knew Jean, you knew she was a big Gator and Yellow Jackets fan.  She and her family shared many years watching and going to games.  She also enjoyed NASCAR, hiking the national forests, astronomy and appreciated nature.  Her heart was huge and she was forever rescuing cats- who ultimately became her pets over the years.  Her passion for music was immense and her ‘happy place’ was the ocean and beach.  With Jean, you would always get a great story that was full of hilarious commentary.  

Physics was a part of who Jean was, and although Jean was battling cancer and treatment, she made sure she made it to the Trinity Site to see where Oppenheimer did his work on the Manhattan Project. She was also thrilled to chase the solar eclipse with one of her lifelong friends in 2024.

Jean is survived by her brothers Louis Richard Drawdy, Jr. (Tracy) of Augusta, Ga, John Drawdy (Shari) of Savannah, her beloved nieces and nephew, Jessica Velasquez (Erik), Jennifer Whitt (Joshua, step-daughter Jodie), Alexandra Phillips and Johnny Drawdy.  Jean also leaves behind her longtime friend and first college roommate, Karen Borman, and a special group of close friends from Savannah, Georgia Tech and Florida who she has cherished in her lifetime.