Edward Leonard Drotleff

For 85 years, Edward Leonard Drotleff lived in a way that made the people around him feel seen. He passed away peacefully on April 21, 2026 — a quiet ending to a life that was anything but quiet in its impact.

Born in Salem, Ohio on July 2, 1940, Ed grew up with roots that ran deep into the soil of small-town Midwestern life. He graduated from Salem High School in 1958 and went on to earn his degree from Ohio Northern College, setting the course for a career defined not by ambition alone, but by genuine devotion to others.

For 52 years, Ed served the East Liverpool community as a pharmacist at Rite Aid — a tenure that is, by any measure, remarkable. But what made Ed truly irreplaceable was not his expertise behind the counter. It was the way he remembered names. The way he asked about your family. The way a visit to pick up a prescription somehow became the highlight of your day. Colleagues and customers alike knew they were in the presence of someone who cared, and that warmth left a mark on every person who walked through those doors.

Beyond his pharmacy, Ed poured himself into his community and his passions with equal enthusiasm. On weekends, you’d find him on the tennis court or the golf course, competing with the same good-natured spirit he brought to everything. He was a steadfast member of the Kiwanis Club, because service wasn’t just an obligation to Ed — it was a calling. The Elks Lodge gave him a circle of friends that endured for decades, and a well-dealt hand of poker never failed to bring out his easy laughter.

His faith anchored him. As a devoted member of St. John’s Church, Ed carried his values not just into Sunday mornings but into the fabric of every day.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents, Edward Andrew and Vera (Sanor) Drotleff; his beloved wife, Glenda (Arnold) Drotleff; his son, Steven Drotleff; and his sister, Patricia Drotleff. The losses he carried only seemed to deepen the love he gave.

He is survived by his daughters, Debbie (Mark) McKeever, Susan (Rich) Dewey, and Paula (Brett) Butler; his sisters-in-law, Donna Bogden and Stevie Jo Thomas; nine cherished grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren — with one more on the way, a new life that will carry his memory forward — and his dear friend, Joyce Bennett.

A life well-lived leaves behind more than memories. It leaves behind a way of being. Ed Drotleff showed the people around him what it looks like to show up — for your community, for your family, for the stranger waiting at the pharmacy counter. That is the inheritance he leaves, and it will not fade.

Services will be held at the Martin Chapel of Care Funeral and Cremation Specialists on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Visitation will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by a service at 1 p.m.

4/23/26