Longtime Falls Church political activist and photographer Drew Kleibrink died Friday reportedly of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 56. He leaves his wife of three months Samira May Badwai Kleibrink and daughter by a first marriage, Erika.
Among the many comments posted posthumously on Kleibrink’s Facebook page, Frank Anderson, executive director of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee, wrote, “I got to know Drew through the years of Democratic activism and the groups we shared membership in – The Brigades, Fairfax for Obama, FCDC, DFA and more. Drew was such a kind and positive person who never said no when asked to help. Just last fall, Drew took photos at our Roosevelt Dinner and he worked out of our office on Election Day, giving voters rides to the polls. I’m shocked and saddened to hear of his passing.”
George Burke, press secretary to U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, wrote, “May my old friend Drew Kleibrink rest in peace. We shared a love of politics, photography, and good conversation. While we both had little time to get together in recent years, I know he loved his wife and daughter very much.”
Kleibrink graduated as a National Merit Scholar from Eisenhower High School in Rialto, California, in 1976, and earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Cornell University in 1980. In 1994 he was awarded an MBA in finance from George Mason University. He founded Kleibrink Photography in 2004 and Nova Benefits in 2007 and was the director for the Mid-Atlantic of IMSM, a global consulting firm. Marriage to his first wife, Maryll, ended in divorce.
Details on a memorial, expected to be held later this month or in early May, will be forthcoming.
