Queen Drusie - Growing into a young adult

When Kelsey Pederson first transferred to the Pequot Lakes School District as a sophomore, she wasn't sure if she would meet anyone that she could call a best friend. As a high school student coming to a new school, it seemed like an impossible task, since at that stage most kids already had their friends and probably wouldn't even notice a new student in the halls. Kelsey's brother, a senior who had already attended Pequot Lakes High School for a year, reassured his younger sister that she would be just fine. And to prove it, he called over a vibrant sophomore with a bright smile to help welcome Kelsey. I remember my brother yelling Dru's name and waving her over, Kelsey said. The first thing I noticed about Dru was her beautiful smile and how nice she was. From the moment they met, a friendship was born. We stayed by each other's sides throughout high school, Kelsey said. We were there for each other to laugh and cry together. We went through boyfriends, break-ups, crushes, school, summer jobs, graduation, college, family, friends and everything in between. I knew no matter where life took us, we would always be friends. Dru's desire to make all of her friends feel special was evident, especially in all of the gifts she hand-made for them.

On Celia [Loven] Baker's eighteenth birthday, Dru used her artistic skills to make a present for one of her best high school friends. She made me a hatbox, Celia recalled. She painted it and put these butterflies on top of it because I love butterflies. It was one of many presents Dru made for Celia. She was always making things for me,² she said.

After their high school graduation, Celia headed off to a youth mission. The morning before she left, she met Dru for breakfast. She had decorated this scrapbook for me, Celia said. She gave it to me empty and wanted me to fill it up on my trip and come back and show her. Dru, who once was shopping with Linda and bought Celia a dress because she just thought it would look cute on her, was always thinking of her friends. She had big plans to give Celia another creative gift in January, 2004. Celia got married in January and Dru, who was supposed to be one of her bridesmaids, was helping Celia plan the wedding. She wanted to be in charge of decorating the cakes, said Celia. She had this idea of putting pictures on top of the cakes and she said she wanted to do it. Throughout Dru's high school years, she developed her artistic talents. That, along with her participation in numerous other activities, helped define the young woman she was evolving into.

Dru was a member of both the golf and basketball teams at Pequot Lakes High School, showing other aspiring athletes that you don't have to be the best player to earn a memorable spot on a team. Dru was an excellent golfer, with the ability to make others on the team smile. She was voted most spirit for golf, Linda said. As for her spot on the basketball team, Dru's fun-loving spirit often outshined her court performances. She was probably the slowest one up and down the court, and she had about a two-inch vertical jump, but she made up for that with determination, said Sid, who remembered one specific basketball game where Dru made a lasting impression on her Grandma Walker. At the age of 82, Sid's mother ventured from North Carolina to visit with her son and his family. They all spent an evening at Dru's basketball game. Just after the final buzzer sounded, the Lady Patriots walked towards Dru's family. Dru brought the entire team over to introduce them to Grandma Walker, Sid recalled. Now, at 89, Sid's mother still talks about that day and how Dru made her feel so special. Dru had a way of making all of her family members feel special.

For Sid, a man with a true love of the culinary arts, Dru never went into a kitchen store without returning home with a little something for her stepfather, who spent many mornings making Dru her favorite breakfast--biscuits and gravy. One such gift that Dru brought home for Sid was a small whisk with an egg for a handle. Every time I use that whisk I think of Dru, Sid said. For Allan, the thoughtful cards and loving phone messages were his favorite gifts from his daughter. If I was in Mexico and it was Valentine's Day, she would call and leave me a message at the house and make me a hand-made card to get when I got home, Allan said. During her sophomore year in high school Dru made Allan another gift that he holds close to his heart. A piece of glass, with The Sjodins¹ etched in it, hangs proudly today at Allan's home, a constant reminder of Dru's creative thoughtfulness.

For Linda, her daughter's projects are more than just art. They are priceless treasures surrounding their home that Linda cherishes each and every day. Her caring and thoughtfulness, along with her bright smile and bubbly personality, made Dru a popular girl during high school. She always found ways to connect with individuals of all ages and cultures. In one class she sat near a deaf student who didn't socialize a whole lot because of the communication difficulty. Dru wrote the young man a note introducing herself, breaking the obvious communication barrier and proving her love of people was not discriminatory; it extended to those who were different than her as well. She was caring to everyone and it was unconditional, Kelsey said.

When nominations for Homecoming Queen were announced during her senior year, it was no surprise to see Dru's name on the list of the top five nominees. And as the young women stood on stage during the Homecoming festivities to find out who received the most votes, many students already knew the name they were going to hear. It was a given that she was going to get it, said Kelsey, who emceed the event and officially announced Dru as the 1999 Homecoming Queen. It wasn't hard for anyone to decide. Dru deserved it. Everyone knew she was real, added Kelsey who remembers how Dru stood on stage with a big smile as she was crowned. She looked so pretty. Dru's popularity extended beyond her peers. Her family always knew Dru had a powerful role in her immediate and extended families, too. I loved every chance I had to go shopping with her, watch her play basketball, make chocolate-covered strawberries, snuggle and share whatever was on our minds, said Diane McGuire, Dru's aunt. Although Diane lived three hours away from Drusie and sometimes felt that they didn't get to see enough of each other, Dru never seemed to think the same way. ³We just picked up wherever we were, had a good snuggle, talked about whatever. I never felt strained to find a way to connect with Dru and I know that was her doing and not my own, Diane said. Somehow that was her gift to me and probably to everyone.

One of Diane's most memorable experiences with Dru happened one Thanksgiving holiday when Diane was nine months pregnant. Most Thanksgivings were spent at Dru's house, but because of Diane's pregnancy that year, Thanksgiving was celebrated at Diane's home. The day after Thanksgiving, Dru and Diane decided to go shopping. I was bigger than a barn and had many nasty people making comments about my size while we were shopping, said Diane, who remembers Dru whispering funny comeback comments to help Diane feel less irritated. As we pulled into the driveway at the end of our shopping spree, I went into labor. I remember sitting at the top of the stairs trying to figure out what was going on. Dru sat right there on the stairs with me, joking and reassuring me at the same time.

For Robert Sutfin, Dru's uncle, the big chair in the living room of Linda and Sid's house brings back fond memories of Dru. I still can see her sitting in the large chair, her feet on the ottoman, covered with a soft, fuzzy blanket and watching TV, he said. Invariably, either my wife, Diane, or one of my kids would end up in the chair with her, giggling and making small talk. The big chair was one of Dru's favorite places and many of her family members remember Dru's mischievous giggling and the secret conversations that took place there. My mother and Dru would sit in that big chair and you'd hear these naughty laughs, Sid said. I always wondered which one was being naughty this time. The chair wasn't the only place Dru would steal snuggles from her family. She found any excuse to crawl into bed with an aunt or jump on an uncle's back. She was a snuggle bug, her Aunt Carol said. She would sit next to me and cuddle, or more to the point, would flop over on her tummy so she could get a back rub or plop her feet in my lap so she could get a foot massage. Likewise, she found the same comfort in snuggling up to her parents at every opportunity. She always loved to cuddle with her dad, Dottie said. Even when she was older she'd be putting her head on his shoulder. She'd just curl up inside him.

Dru's relationships were strongholds in her life. She spent every spare moment cradling and adoring those whom she loved. She treated her closest friends as extensions of her own family, and most times those two worlds meshed together to create one giant world full of love.

Dru began vacationing in Mexico with her family when she was approximately eight years old. As she grew into a teenager it became her favorite destination. Each year she brought a different friend, introducing them to the culture she already adored. From her first visit through her high school years, Dru never missed the annual trip. She just loved the people and the food, Sid said. There was just something about it that excited her. One year when the family returned from Mexico, they sat down to look at their vacation photos. That year, the family spent the week in an enormous suite on the top floor of a hotel, which housed a helicopter pad just above them. We got back and we were looking at this picture of the hotel, said Sid. The photo captured the view from atop the hotel roof looking downward, an image that neither Sid nor Linda had seen. We asked how they got that picture and Dru said, Oh, Sven held onto my legs while I took the picture. The danger of the stunt escaped the siblings, who were simply impressed with how the photo turned out. It was such a great view, said Sven, who now admits there was a little danger involved. The wind was blowing and we were rocking back and forth, he said. One strong gust of wind would¹ve blown us right off the edge.

As a senior in high school, Dru decided that the best senior trip would be to share the experiences of Mexico with all of her friends. Sid helped them set up an all-inclusive stay at a hotel where they could all experience the beauty of the country Dru so admired. When Dru headed off to college at the University of North Dakota to major in graphic design, she left behind some of her closest friends, but never forgot any of them.

She was always sending me all these cards just out of the blue, Celia said. Likewise, Kelsey often discovered random presents in her mailbox with Dru's return address decorating the hand-made envelopes. Whether I was having a bad day, or for no reason at all, she would make me little cards and notes telling me to have a good day or thanking me for something or just to tell me she loved me, Kelsey said. I still have every little card and letter she ever wrote or made for me. Just last month, Kelsey received what she considers to be one of the most special letters from Dru. Allan gave Kelsey a letter that was found in Dru's apartment in Grand Forks after Dru was gone. Kelsey was making some important life decisions, ones that she wished so much for Dru's advice on, when she received the last letter Dru wrote to her. It couldn't have come at a more perfect time, Kelsey said. She went on to tell me that she loved me and was here for me. It was almost as if Dru was there with me, talking to me and giving me advice about what to do with my life. While there was no date on the letter and Kelsey will never know when Dru wrote it, she is thankful for her best friend's last words of wisdom. I can't help but feel like she meant for me to have it when I did, Kelsey said. Dru left for me words that will inspire me for the rest of my life.

As Dru sent her high school friends letters of love and words of encouragement, she also developed new bonds with college friends. She gave these friends the same love and compassion that her high school friends knew so well. If you needed her, she would be there in two-point-two seconds, said Dani Mark, who was in high school the first time she met Dru. Dani's brother was friends with Dru at college and when he didn't want to pick up his little sister one night, he sent Dru to get her. That night, while Dani waited for Dru, expecting to see one of her brother's male friends pull up, she had no idea of the wonderful friendship that was about to develop. She totally treated me like I wasn't in high school, Dani recalled. By the time Dani became a student at the University of North Dakota, she already had a lasting relationship with Dru. It was no surprise that Dani was welcomed into Gammi Phi Beta, the same sorority to which Dru belonged. Dru would go to great lengths to make her sorority sisters smile, leaving a lasting impression on the girls. I remember Initiation Night; she would flicker the lights on and off and pull fuses so that we would think there was a ghost, Dani said. Dru's sorority sisters each felt special because of Dru's ability to show individual attention and caring to each of them. She cared about everyone, Dani said. She always had that way of bringing people up. For Dru and Dani, who shared a special bond of having atypical girl names and often felt that was their secret connection, even studying could be fun. We drank three bottles of wine when I was helping her study for a test one night, Dani said. Dru's willingness to be welcoming to new people helped her make many friends. She would talk to everyone, regardless of who they were, Dani said. It was that openness and desire to meet new people that brought her to a barstool at The Wharf in Crosslake in December, 2002.

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