Frederick Charles "Rick" Drummond

Frederick "Rick" Charles Drummond Obituary


Frederick Charles, "Rick" Drummond, 74, of Pickens South Carolina, passed away on Friday, October 23, 2020. This loving husband and father leaves behind his bride of 33 years, Joy, and one son, Ricky. Both Joy and Ricky reside in the home they shared with Rick, in Pickens.
Mr. Drummond was known as Rick to his family and as Fred to his colleagues. He was born on April 29,1946, in Port Chester, New York to the late Frederick LeRoy and Dorothy (Sayer) Drummond. He was educated in Port Chester public schools and in the early days of the space race between the US and the USSR, Rick was one of a small group of youngsters who displayed a significant aptitude in math and science and was selected for an accelerated program designed to help our country to advance in these fields. He received his AAS in 1970 from Westchester Community College in New York State and his BS in Chemistry from Fordham University 1974.

Although he had not planned a career in Forensic Science, serendipity and providence set that path in front of him and he happily accepted. He was employed by Westchester County, NY for 35 years under the Medical Examiner's office. He began as a Laboratory Technician and worked his way up to Senior Laboratory Technician in Serology, Assistant Chief of Laboratories in Serology, Senior Forensic Scientist and in 1987 became the youngest person to hold the position of Chief of Forensic Science Services in Westchester County's history, a position he held until his retirement in 2008. In addition to his primary duties he spent many years as an Evening Medical Investigator, and was a professor in the Chemistry Department of Iona College in New Rochelle, NY, where he taught Forensic Science courses for 27 years.

On May 23, 1987, Rick married his long-time sweetheart, Joyce Lynn "Joy" Genovese. The couple spent many of their years together in the town of Lewisboro, in Westchester County, NY, living in a home that Rick constructed himself. Rick loved working with his hands, utilizing skills he had learned from his father. Since he had spent so much of his childhood living in small, dark apartments, Rick designed and built a home with an open floor plan, large window walls, and an abundance of wood and field stone. This is where Rick and Joy created their home and where they were blessed with one son, Richard (Ricky) Drummond. Rick's death will forever leave a void in the hearts of Joy and Ricky.

Rick loved collecting stamps as a youngster and became fascinated by history. He was an unabashed patriot who was known to weep tears of pride when discussing our Country. He also told wonderful stories of his childhood and of the parents, grandfather, aunts, uncles and cousins whom he loved. He frequently noted that he grew up poor but in many ways he didn't know it because he had an abundance of love and joy-filled times with his parents and family.
In 2010, Rick, Joy and Ricky moved to Pickens. Rick loved being a South Carolinian and delved deeply into studying the history of the Upstate. He continued his love of working with his hands in his new house, beautifully landscaping a substantial area of land around their Pickens home. He truly enjoyed the vast beauty of the mountains and often stood on the family's back deck to watch thunderstorms roll in over the mountains. He loved to explore nature and often spent time in wooded areas enjoying its beauty.

Rick dedicated himself to his family and happily put a great deal of effort into home schooling Ricky; he fostered in Ricky a love of history and nature as well as an ability to learn to tackle any problem. He would frequently say that there are only about 30 key things we need to know and then we can apply that knowledge into almost all new situations to reason a way to tackle a problem.
He loved God and had read the bible from cover to cover many times before he reached adulthood. While he did not attend church often, his strong faith was always in his heart.

He had a personality that was unforgettable. He had a generous spirit and always had time to help a friend. He laughed often and enjoyed spending time with his dearly loved family.

Visitation will be 5:30-7:00 PM on Tuesday, October 27, 2020. A service of song and memories will be held Wednesday at 11:00 AM in the Chapel at Duckett Robinson Funeral Home, Central, SC with burial to follow. Rick will be laid to rest at Griffin Baptist Church Cemetery, Pickens, South Carolina.

The Drummond family will receive flowers, and friends are also encouraged to make donations in Rick's memory to honor his patriotic love and commitment to this great nation. Online donations can be made to Judicial Watch at www.judicialwatch.org

Arrangements are in the care of Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home.
Visit RobinsonFuneralHomes.com or Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home & Cremations, Central-Clemson Commons.