August 15, 1981 - December 4, 2024
Andrew Alan Leininger was born August 15, 1981, to Alan and Margo (Hall) Leininger in Sylvania. He died suddenly on December 4, 2024, at age 43, in Florence, Kentucky. In addition to his parents, “Drew” is survived by his brother, Kevin (Tess) Leininger; his maternal grandmother, Eleanor Hall; nieces, Matilda and Beatrix Leininger, and aunts, Leslie (Rick) Watza, Linda Leininger and Kathy (Steve) Fronk. Drew was predeceased by his grandparents, Kenneth and Betty Leininger and Fred Hall.
Drew graduated from St. John’s Jesuit High School in 1999. At St. John’s, he played trombone in the marching and concert bands. He also performed with the Toledo Jazz Ensemble. With the ensemble, Drew was able to travel to New Orleans and participate in the city’s annual jazz festival. As a rising senior, Drew traveled on a month-long mission trip to the Dominican Republic as part of the Detroit Province of Jesuits. He and several other high school students lived with local families while building basic housing for those in need. A month of eating beans and rice and avoiding “aranas grandes” while using the outhouse made a lasting impression.
Drew continued his education at Miami University. While at Miami, he took a job at Skippers/Top Deck, which started his lifelong passion for the restaurant business. Over the next two decades, Drew worked jobs from dishwasher to executive chef. He worked at restaurants from Oxford, Cincinnati and Toledo, Ohio, to Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and Detroit, Michigan. Drew simply loved to cook and create. He was proud to have earned a level one certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers and he would watch every Food Network program he could to learn and critique.
When not managing a restaurant kitchen or dining room, Drew enjoyed playing “Magic.” He also enjoyed his extensive vinyl LP collection, which showed his eclectic love of music from ‘60’s rock and roll to vintage blues. He was a baseball fan and followed the Detroit Tigers and the Cincinnati Reds.
Drew loved being outdoors. He especially liked being on the water. Drew would often paddle his kayaks on the Maumee River and had at least one harrowing adventure attempting to reach the Lake Erie islands. Drew spent as much time as possible at the family cottage on Black Lake in northern Michigan, showing off his skills on water skis and with a fishing pole. Trips to nearby Lake Huron for salmon fishing on “grandpa’s big boat” were always special. A fly-fishing expedition to Montana with his Grandpa Fred was one of Drew’s favorite adventures.
Drew has been described by many who knew him as having an old and gentle soul. May that soul now rest in peace! Drew is deeply loved and will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 11, at First Presbyterian Church, 200 East Broadway Street in Maumee, at 11 am. A luncheon will follow in the fellowship hall. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the church.