James Draper

Jim was born in Somerset, Indiana to James Calvin and Edna Ruth (Tait) Draper on October 11, 1944.  He graduated from Somerset High School in 1962, was drafted into the Army in 1965 and served 2 years, which included a stint in Germany.  After that, he worked as a delivery driver for UPS.  He married Dianne Hurd in January of 1969 and they soon began a life together on their farm north of Larwill. They lived on that farm for 50 years, raised their two children, Stacey and Scott and made many good memories there.  Jim started working for his brother-in-law, Steve Reiff, as a painter and tree trimmer.  He bought the outside painting and tree side of Steve Reiff Inc. in 1985 and created Jim Draper Painting & Tree Service, continuing in that business until May 2019.

Besides his work, Jim loved riding a good trail on his horse or mule, floating a nearby lake in his johnboat with his dog, and especially spending time with his kids and grandkids in Colorado.  He loved to visit the mountain west and enjoyed traveling the backroads whenever He and Dianne ventured that direction.  He also enjoyed helping others, he was always doing odd jobs with the use of his bucket truck for neighbors and friends.  His smile and kind heart gave him the great personality that everyone knew so well.  At the time of his passing, he served as a board member for Child Evangelism Ministries and as a deacon at the First Baptist Church of South Whitley.  In years past, he volunteered as 4-H leader for the Whitley County Horse Club.

Jim suffered a brain aneurysm and stroke on May 29, 2019, followed by some seizures.  He spent many months in and out of the hospital, as well as in a rehab and nursing facility in Indiana.  He began to improve in September and was able to make the trip to Grand Junction, Colorado in November 2019 to be near his family.  While there, he made strides in therapy for another month, but suffered more seizures and began a steady decline in his health in mid-January.  Jim passed away on February 18, 2020 at HopeWest Hospice Center in Grand Junction surrounded by his family.  Needless to say, this was a long journey for him as well as for the family, but he continued to keep his happy smile and positive outlook through it all.  He made many new friends even at this time and positively affected each of them.  He has left a great testimony and legacy for his kids and grandkids to follow of his faith and perseverance.

Jim is survived by his wife, L. Dianne (Hurd) Draper of Larwill, Indiana; his daughter Stacey L. (Jon) Moore of Glade Park, Colorado; his son Scott W. (Jodi) Draper of Loma, Colorado; grandchildren, Jody(Kaila) Mullin of Yorktown, Virginia, Garrett Draper and Brady Draper of Loma, Colorado.

He was preceded in death by his father, J.C. Draper; mother, Ruth Draper; and sisters, Trula Cramer and Doris Reiff.

There will be a Veterans Memorial Service for Jim at the VA Memorial Park in Grand Junction, Colorado on Thursday, March 5th, 1:00 p.m.

A funeral service will be held at Smith & Sons Funeral Home in Columbia City, Indiana at a later date.  In leu of flowers, the family asks for any donations to be directed to: Lakeland Child Evangelism Ministries, P.O. Box 612, Winona Lake, IN 46590