Alfred F. ‘Al’ Dreves #okfire

   Funeral for Alfred F. “Al” Dreves, 71, Lawton, will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Letitia Baptist Church with Pastor Wes Kinder, Cache Creek Cowboy Church, and Timm Petersen officiating.

Al passed away Wednesday, March 6, 2013, in Lawton.

Burial will be at Fort Sill National Cemetery under direction of Lawton Ritter Gray Funeral Home.



Al was born Dec. 8, 1941, in Schenectady, N.Y., to Alfred F. Dreves Sr. and Lela Larkins Dreves. He grew up in Schenectady where he attended school, graduating from Shalmont High School in 1959. In 1960, Al joined the Army and served his country in many locations including Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Rucker, Ala.; Fort Eustis, Va.; and Fort Sill. He served two tours in Vietnam, from 1968-1969 and 1970-1971. He later served in the Oklahoma Army National Guard until his retirement in 1986 with the rank of major. While in the service he received many awards and medals including Distinqushed Flying Cross, Bronze Star, and numerous Army Commendations and Air Medals.

He then worked for Associated Finance and later owned and operated TD Allen Body Shop for three years and worked for Milo Gordon. He was an insurance adjuster and owned and operated Auto Damage Appraisers. He also worked as USAA as an i n s u r a n c e a p p r a i s e r before retiring in 1994. He worked for a while at Howard Smith Ford as the assistant body shop manager and then began a career in agriculture construction, owning and operating his own business. He married Jody Petersen Autry on Dec. 31, 1989, in Lawton. Al was a volunteer firefighter for Cox’s Store Volunteer Fire Department from 1989 until the present and had served as fire chief for the past 17 years. He was the first person in the state of Oklahoma to receive the Volunteer Firefighter of the Year Award in 2009. He joined the Lawton Rangers in 1990 and served as president from 1999-2000. He was a member of the VFW Post 3521, the M.O.W.W. and the Vietnam Helicopter Pilot Association. He also attended Cache Creek Cowboy Church.

Al was a loving husband, pop, grandpa, great-grandpa and brother who loved to hunt and fish. He was greatly loved and will be missed by all who knew him.

Survivors include his wife, Jody, of the home; a son, Christopher Dreves, Fayetteville, Ark.; a brother and sister-in-law, Jeffrey and Marlene Dreves, Girard, Ohio; his sister and brother-in-law, Amelia and Sean Hallam, Schenectady, N.Y.; four grandchildren: Michael Bolser, Stephanie Dreves and fiance’, Brandon Brown, Raymond Dreves and Darrian Anderson; two great-grandchildren: K’Ola Dreves and Carson Pankratz; his brothers-in-law: Neil Petersen and Lee Preheim, Mark Petersen and Barb and Joel Petersen; numerous nieces and nephews; and his family at Cox’s Store Volunteer Fire Department and Lawton Rangers and a host of other loving friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his in-laws: Frisco and Clara Jane Petersen; and a brother-in-law, Todd Petersen. Friends may call from 6-8 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to the Cox’s Store Volunteer Fire Department at 14810 NE Rogers Lane, Lawton, Oklahoma 73507.