Obituary of Paul J Drake

Paul J. Drake 61, of Basking Ridge, Merck Retiree Paul J. Drake, 61, of the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township, passed away on Friday February 15, 2013 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC after a brief illness. Born January 7, 1952, Paul was raised in Roslindale, MA where he graduated from Roslindale High School and Laboure Jr. College with an Associates Degree in Nursing. For several years, he worked for the Faulkner Hospital, Fallon Ambulance Company, Boston City EMS and Boston City Hospital. He also served in the Army National Guard of Massachusetts from 1970 - 1976. In 1977, he moved to Yonkers, New York where he worked for Montefiore Hospital's ER while he pursued his Bachelors degree in Economics/Business Management at The City University of New York- Lehman College. Upon graduation, he joined Sterling Drug Co. as a sales representative and then moved on to Merck and Co. where he worked for 19 years. He and his family lived in Ossining, New York until moving to Basking Ridge in 1992. Paul retired from Merck in 2007 as a Sr. Director of Marketing. While employed by Merck, he traveled extensively, visiting over 32 countries, and had very fond memories of working with his many colleagues over the years. Paul is survived by his beloved wife of 34 years, Deborah (Joyce) Drake, and two loving sons, Andrew, a US Marine, and Patrick. He is also survived by his devoted mother, Mary Drake, sisters, brothers and their spouses, Susan, Michael and Mary, Peter, Kim and David, 6 nieces and nephews and 7 great-nieces and nephews, all of MA. Relatives and friends are invite to visit the Gallaway & Crane Funeral Home, 101 South Finley Avenue, Basking Ridge from 4-7 pm Friday, February 22, 2013. Liturgy of Christian burial will be held at 1 pm on Saturday, February 23, 2013 at St. James Church, 184 South Finley Avenue in Basking Ridge. A Memorial Mass will be held at Holy Name Church, 1689 Centre Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132, on Saturday, March 9, 2013 at 10 am. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to The Heartworks Foundation (www.njheartworks.org.) or The St. James Church - Social Concerns. For further information, visit www.gcfuneralhome.com.