John Andrew "Drew" Stobbe

John Andrew Stobbe was born December 8, 1984 in Portland, Oregon and was bravely and lovingly given to Phil & Carrie Stobbe to raise as their own. He grew up in Grants Pass and thrived in the presence of family, grandparents, and cousins, emerging as humorous, witty, intelligent, friendly, compassionate, loyal, thoughtful, and adventurous. He retained these qualities throughout his life.

Drew loved to explore, inquire, and travel; particularly influential were his months spent riding the rails hopping freight cars in his late teens and living in Germany for two years as a soldier. He loved the mountains, rivers, swimming holes, and ocean of Southern Oregon, and proudly rooted for the Ducks, even in the heart of SEC country.

He was a proud and capable Sergeant in the US Army, serving his country for over 11 years. Trained as a tanker, Drew loved the power and maneuverability of the M1-A2 Abrams tanks. He was a skillful instructor and respected leader of his crews. His service included three tours in Iraq and foreign posts in Germany and South Korea. He was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas at the time of his death.

His abrupt and unforeseen death will not define Drew's life or memory. While he left us all too early for reasons that elude our understanding, he knows the peace and love of our savior, Jesus Christ. In a very real sense, Drew was always 'public property' a child, boy, and man who loved all and was beloved by all.

Rest easy, brother. You're home.

A celebration of his life well-lived was held at 1:30 p.m., Sunday, May 15, 2016 at Pennington Farm, 11115 Williams Highway, Grants Pass.

Remembrances may be made in Drew’s name to The Adventure Project, 140 W 30th Street, #5W, New York, New York 10001 or www.theadventureproject.org.

Sergeant John Andrew “Drew” Stobbe, age 31, from Grants Pass, stationed at Fort Hood, died Sunday, May 1, 2016 in Killeen, Texas.

SGT Stobbe enlisted in the United States Army at MEPS Portland in 2004, and attended One Station Unit Training at Fort Knox, graduating in February 2005. His first duty assignment as an armor crewman was with D CO, 3-67 AR at Fort Hood. SGT Stobbe deployed to Iraq with 3-67 AR from December 2005 until November 2006. In 2008, SGT Stobbe was assigned to D CO 2-12 AR in 2008, deploying once again to Iraq from June 2008 to June 2009, where SGT Stobbe served as a tank gunner. SGT Stobbe was then assigned to the Rose barracks in Vilseck, Germany as a Range Safety NCO with the JMTED support Company in April 2012. SGT Stobbe returned to Fort Hood as a member of C CO 1-8 CAV in July of 2014, serving as a tank commander during the unit’s rotation to the Republic of Korea in June 2015.

SGT Stobbe was a graduate of the Basic Leader Course, Advanced Leader’s Course, and the M1A2 Tank Commander’s Course. His awards include the joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with 3 oak leaf clusters, the Army Achievement with 1 oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Unit Citation with 1 oak leaf cluster, the Army Good Conduct Medal (3 awards), the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal with four campaign stars, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, the NCO Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon with “3” numeral device, the Combat Action Badge, the Drive and Mechanic Badge-Wheeled, and Drive and Mechanic Badge Tracked.

SGT Stobbe is survived by his parents, Phil and Carrie Stobbe; brothers, Taylor Stobbe, Reid Stobbe, and Eric Stobbe; sisters, Tasha Stobbe, Amber Gamez, and Chelsea Duran all of Grants Pass; wife, Anna Boak-Stobbe of Grants Pass; birth mom, Christine Johnson and half-sister, Ruth Johnson both of Portland.