W.E. “Junior” Drinkard, Jr. 1925-2013 W.E. Drinkard, better known as Junior, age 87 of Pace, passed away after a lengthy illness on Sunday, March 10, 2013. Junior was a native of Pike County Alabama and has resided in Pace for the past 55 years. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Milton where he enjoyed fellowshipping with his friends in the Fisher-Brown Sunday School class. He thoroughly enjoyed walking from pew to pew with a smile on his face giving hugs and handshakes to everyone he could find. Junior faithfully worked for the City of Milton for 30 years before retiring in 1991. Junior was a loving, caring and wonderful husband, father, PawPaw, brother, Uncle and friend. He never met a stranger and was always eager to make new friends wherever he was. Junior was preceded in death by his parents, W.E. and Anna Law Drinkard, Sr., wife of 53 years, Patty Drinkard, and siblings, Leemon Drinkard, Mary Beth Stewart, and Fedonia McKinley Junior is survived by his children, Patricia (Larry) Smith of Springfield, Missouri, Bubba (Paula) Drinkard and Robert (Sandra) Drinkard all of Pace, Florida. Grandchildren, Tiffany (Bob) Lynch, Trinity (Ryan) Nestleroad, Telisa Crews, Leslie (John) Brandt, Caleigh Drinkard, Amber Drinkard, Caitlin “Mikey” Drinkard and Gabriele Hough; Great-grandchildren, Tyler and Tyleigh Allcock, Carson and Emmery Nestleroad, Macy and Michael Lynch, Gavin, Heaven and Annabelle Brandt, numerous nieces and nephews, and his loving caregivers from Sandy Ridge that he called family. Funeral services for Junior will be at 2:00 Wednesday, March 13 at First Baptist Church of Milton with Dr. David Spencer officiating. Burial will follow at Serenity Gardens with Lewis Funeral directing. Family will receive friends from 6 – 8 Tuesday evening at Lewis Funeral Home, Pace Chapel. In lieu of flowers, family request Memorial Contributions be made to the First Baptist Church of Milton, Digital Sign Fund. Active pallbearers will be Sam Lewis, Steve Jones, Speedy Vaughn, Guy Thompson, Robert Griffin, and Ken Ford. Honorary pallbearers will be Robert Cassady, Jack Plowman, Orrin Smith, Greg Brown, Greg Sessions, James “Chopper” Smith, John Brandt, Ted Waters, Gary Siefert, DeVanne Cook, Robert Hilliard, Clyde Gracey and the loving caregivers from Sandy Ridge. The family wishes to express their sincere appreciation to the administrative staff, nurses, and caregivers at Sandy Ridge Health and Rehabilitation, Milton, who faithfully loved and cared for Poppa as they came to call him.