The American flag outside Edward's Pipe & Tobacco Shop flew proudly for the last time Monday.
Don Drew, the Korean War veteran who brought the shop and a love for smoking tobacco to Lakeland in the early 1970s, died of heart failure Monday, and his wife, Charlene, is sending the flag with him. It was only fitting that the Army sergeant died on Veteran's Day, she said. He was 83.
"He flew that flag in front of the store every day," said Charlene Drew. "That was his patriotism. We're not flying that flag in front of the store anymore. I'm going to give it to him and he can take it with him wherever he goes on his journey."
Although Edward's went through many locations early-on, Drew found a permanent home for the shop on Florida Avenue and Beacon Road in 1989. The business will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, a testament to Drew's ability to adjust to a changing industry.
