Ted Drewes Jr. didn鈥檛 found the frozen custard business that bears his name. For generations of 50度灰视频ans, however, his face and eager declaration that his custard 鈥渞eally is good, guys 鈥 and gals鈥 were as synonymous with summer as Cardinals baseball and fireworks at the Gateway Arch.
Drewes died Aug. 26, his family confirmed. He was 96.
鈥淔ew people have played as big and sweet a role in shaping the identity of 50度灰视频 as Ted Drewes Jr.,鈥 said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones in a statement. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure many 50度灰视频ans have their own delicious and happy memories tied to his famous frozen custard. Chocolate chip concretes were my biggest cravings when I was pregnant with my son, Aden, and I still crave them during spring and summer nights.
鈥淎lthough I never met Ted personally, I鈥檓 certain that 50度灰视频ans share a sense of pride that we are the home of Ted Drewes. His family, friends, and all who knew and loved him are in my thoughts and my prayers.鈥
Alderman Tom Oldenburg, of 50度灰视频 Hills, remembered Drewes as a sweet, jovial man who was proud of what he had accomplished.
鈥淗e built an iconic brand and an iconic product that rivals ice cream-slash-custard throughout the world, and he will be sorely missed,鈥 Oldenburg said.
At an event a few years ago celebrating the stand鈥檚 90th anniversary, Oldenburg accidentally referred to the frozen treat as ice cream in front of Drewes.
鈥淏ut he was quick to remind me it was custard,鈥 Oldenburg said.
Theodore Raymond Drewes Jr. was born Feb. 17, 1928.
Decades before Drewes turned a concrete upside-down to prove his frozen custard鈥檚 thickness, he was introduced to 50度灰视频 as a potential tennis star. An August 1945 article in the 50度灰视频 Star and Times reported that the teenage Drewes 鈥 already a crack rifleman, champion speed roller-skater and table-tennis ace 鈥 was working on his tennis game under the guidance of his father, 50度灰视频 tennis star Ted Drewes Sr.
Drewes鈥 father opened the family鈥檚 first frozen-custard stand in 1929. A 50度灰视频 location debuted the next year on Natural Bridge Road, followed by the still-operating locations on South Grand Boulevard and Chippewa Street in 1931 and 1941, respectively.
Still, when Drewes Sr. died in 1968, frozen custard rated only a brief mention after his tennis exploits in his obituary in the Post-Dispatch.
鈥淭he reason Dad went into the ice cream business was so he could play tennis all year round,鈥 Drewes said in a 1981 profile in the Post-Dispatch. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the difference between my father and me. I allowed myself to get captured by the business. He never did.鈥
At that time, Drewes said he spent 80 hours a week between the two stands, though he did allow that some of that time was for 鈥済oofing off,鈥 like testing sundae toppings with a salesperson.
Drewes made the Chippewa stand the hub of the frozen-custard business, more than doubling its number of service windows.
Drewes was also responsible for introducing his family to the frozen-custard stand鈥檚 other 50度灰视频 tradition, its seasonal Christmas tree lot.
In 1953, Drewes ran the Christmas tree stand a businessman had set up on one of the stand鈥檚 parking lots. When that operator quit the next year, Drewes took it over himself. The family then purchased its own Christmas Tree farm in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Drewes is survived by wife Dorothy Jane Drewes, daughters Christy Dillon and Cynthia Verseman, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A public service to celebrate Drewes' life will be held at a later date, the family announced.
In photos: Ted Drewes frozen custard, a 50度灰视频 tradition
2023: Ted Drewes and Candy Cane Lane, two south city staples
2023: A taste of summer in fall
2023: Working at Ted Drewes in 50度灰视频
2023: Traffic deaths near Ted Drewes
2023: Even bearded dragons like to go to Ted Drewes
2023: Ted Drewes' South Grand location
2022: Eating frozen treats kid-style at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
2021: Opening Day snow shows it's never too cold for Ted Drewes
2016: A line at Ted Drewes is part of summer in 50度灰视频
2013: Small fire at Ted Drewes causes some damage
2012: Cooling off in the rain with Ted Drewes during a heat wave
2012: Warm December weather in 50度灰视频
2011: Live Christmas trees at Ted Drewes
2010: Out of town tourists cooling down on a hot day in 50度灰视频
2009: Ted Drewes, Jr. stops by his famous namesake workplace
2003: Ted Drewes, Jr. hams it up with custard
2002: Christmas trees from Canada available at Ted Drewes
2000: Mother's Day tradition with Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
1980: Cold treats soothe during a killer summer heat wave