More than 100 people attended a celebration of life at Healdsburg’s Recreation Park on Saturday, March 5, a fitting location to honor a local volunteer who spent thousands of hours at Rec Park, supporting community causes dear to his heart.
Dennis Robert “Denny” Drowty (1943-2021) moved to Healdsburg in 1999 with his beloved wife and volunteer partner, Carol Noack. The two immersed themselves in dozens of good causes, and Drowty became known for his tireless dedication to Healdsburg Little League, which hosted Saturday’s gathering.
The celebration began with military honors. Frank Teuschler and Tim Maloney, of American Legion Sotoyome Post 111, folded a U.S. flag while Dave Myers played Taps nearby on a bugle. The crisply folded flag was presented to Noack, in honor of Drowty’s service in the U.S. Navy.
Noack hugged the flag for a moment, then gave it to Luke Munsell and Brandon Hausman, of the Healdsburg Junior Blue Little League team, who attached the flag to the Rec Park flagpole and raised it to the top.
Noack announced that the flag will fly over future Little League games in Drowty’s honor, and she followed by singing the National Anthem, as she has for many baseball games at Rec Park and elsewhere.
Next, Drowty’s friends played a recording of he and Noack talking about the value of respect and understanding in successful relationships. The couple had made the recording as a gift to a young friend who marveled at their happy and supportive marriage.
Afterward, Drowty’s friends and admirers shared heartfelt, tearful, or chuckling memories of a man who “connected with every kid” in Little League during two decades of volunteering, despite having no kids of his own.
The celebration concluded with a “traditional Healdsburg Little League lunch” from the Recreation Park snack bar.
Contributions in Drowty’s memory can be made to Healdsburg Little League, Dave Miller Fair Play Scholarship Fund, PO Box 674, Healdsburg, CA. 95448.
