Robert Leon Draper
August 17, 1929 ~ March 21, 2003
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Asheville Butterfly Trail
Asheville - Robert Leon Draper was born August 17, 1929, and passed away on March 21, 2003, at his residence in Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community.
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, he was the son of the late George Chester and Marzee Draper. After attending public schools in Birmingham, he joined the Army and served with the 82nd Airborne. He graduated from the University of Texas, Austin, with a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering and received his M.B.A. from Tulane University, New Orleans. He retired as Vice President of Mobile Oil, Indonesia. After moving to Deerfield, he became a member of the St. Giles Chapel Episcopal Church.
He was a loving husband, father and friend to all who knew him. Mr. Draper is survived by his wife of 53 years, Wilda Warren Draper and his two daughters, Jan Robin of Conroe, Texas and Diane Brummell, and her husband Richard, of Plano, Texas; his brother, George Draper, and his wife Helen, of Alice, Texas. He was the proud grandfather of four grandsons, Jeremy Robin, and his wife, Jennifer, Jason Robin, Blaine and Blair Brummell. His sister, Nancy Everett Baker, preceded him in death.
The memorial service will be conducted at 2:00 p.m., Monday, March 24, 2003 at St. Giles Chapel, Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community, with the Reverend E. Morgan Gardner officiating.
The family request no flowers, but suggests memorials be made to the Mountain Area Hospice, P.O. Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28813 or to M.D. Anderson for prostate cancer research, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 297153, Houston, TX 77297-0153.
Mr. Draper spent his life helping others. He lived by the Golden Rule and will be greatly missed.
Our deepest sympathy, Wilda, to you and your family. Jim and Winnie
Mom,
I can’t believe he is gone,
I will miss him so much, and I know you will too.
Love,
Jan
Wilda, Diane and Jan. Some of us are coming over tomorrow (Monday). If we don’t get to talk to you, please know we love you and you are in our prayers. We shall miss Bob, he was a dear! Love, Nancy
There are people who touch your life so vividly. Bob was one of those. We will miss him so much.
With our love, Emily and Blair
Dear Wilda, Diane and Jan
George Draper called a short time ago to tell us of Bob’s passing. You have my and my family’s sympathy. Bob was wonderful to me and you are in our prayers always.
Keep up your faith in God and know that Bob is resting now.
We love you very much.
Carol, Martha and Cindy Draper
Hi Jan and Family – We read about your father’s death in the Conroe paper this morning. We want you to know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. Please call if you need us to do anything at your house while you are gone.
Love,
Linda, Morris, Jake, Willie and Melissa Eickenhorst
To The Family: Wilda we were so sorry to hear about Bob’s death. We just want you to know that you and the family are in our prayers.
Bob was such a wonderful and careing person and I know he will be missed so much. In the weeks to come,it will be hard for you, but with God’s help and strength you will make it. Just remember, we love you and you will continue to be in our prayers.
God Bless
Robert and Ann Ashcraft
Mom,
Dad was so special, and I am blessed that he was my father as I am that you are my mother. You provided what he needed so much this past year – love, support, and care.
Love,
Diane
Bob Draper was a special man and a wonderful father-in-law. He was liked and loved by so many people. He was a successful husband, father, grandfather, and businessman. I will always appreciate the love and kindness he showed toward me. He was a truly kind and giving person. He knew the Lord Jesus and his life gave testimony to the love only a believer can have. I know his spirit is with the Lord and awaits the Lord’s return to receive his glorified body. Bob, I love you.
Wilda, Diane, Jan : Your husband and father truly enriched our lives We shall remember him as a close highly principled thoughtful friend possessing,among other things,a highly engaging fantantic sense of humor.
Wilda,
My sincere condolences. My prayers
are with you and your family. Bob
will be missed by many, many people
including myself.
He was a good friend and a wonderful person to work with. I have very fond memories of the years that I knew him. A Prince of a man.
Bob was a valued co-worker and dear friend. We will miss him. God bless Wilda and the family Lillian & Jess Hargis
I was so sorry to hear of Robert’s death. I will keep the family in my prayers…Ruth Gayle (Cecil’s daughter).
MIMI,
I loved and respected Daddy Bob so much. As I look to the future, I hope to live my life as he lived his. When I pass, I hope my family will look back on me with the same respect and admiration as I have for my granfather. D-Bob gave me so many memories that I will cherish forever. Rest in peace RLD.
Daddy Bob was the only grandfather I ever knew. God couldn’t have made a better one. He was so much more than that though. From all I know and saw he was a remarkable man: a loving husband, a caring father, a reliable friend, and a true Christian. He always had a story to tell us, an adventure planned for us, or a treat to spoil us. Whenever he offered his vast wisdom, I listened. Hopefully, I’ll remember most of it and be able to apply it. He got me interested in business and soon it will be my career. I know he was very proud of all his family. I’m so glad I got to see him one last time to tell him how much I loved him and how much he meant to me. He will be missed here on earth. But I’m convinced he’s smiling because he’s got the jump on all of us to Heaven. I’ll meet him there again one day. Until then, I will always treasure the times we shared. I love you always Daddy Bob.
I don’t know what to say. I am so lucky to have enjoyed his company for 25 years, and I am grateful that I had a chance to see him one last time.
Father’s Day, 2002 – I gave him a ‘Grandpa’ card, and joked about not finding a ‘Daddy-Bob’ card. I have never heard of another grandfather coined with such a name, and I find that fitting because D-Bob truly was a one-of-a-kind. He taught us what it meant to have integrity, to show compassion, and to love. He was so much more than just a grandfather, he was a teacher, a mentor, a guidance counselor, and a friend.
I love you, Mimi, and I can’t wait to see you again. And D-Bob, take care, my friend. I hope to see you again someday, too. Until then, I’ll know where you are. I also know that God’s fairways are wide, His scotch is aged, and His garage is full of power-tools. Thank you for everything!!
To the family,
So sorry to hear of your loss. We wanted to pay our respects. I think I might have met Bob many years ago at Aunt Marzie’s in Birmingham. You will be in our thoughts and prayers.
Robert and Ann Ashcraft are my parents.
Mimi,
I truly hurt for you. Despite my own recent losses, I cannot begin to fathom what you are feeling. You and Bob have been so kind and loving to me from the moment I met you both. I told Jeremy not long after I met Bob that I could tell he was really special. He had a worldly, ethereal way about him, a sense of understanding beyond spoken words. It is not a trait that I find often in other people, and in fact have only felt it with my mother, great-gandmother, and my two sisters. I felt connected to him immediately. The first time Jeremy talked to me about the two of you was not long after we had begun dating and he told me that you would send Bob to the mall to find an outfit like one you would see Regis Philbin wearing. This made me laugh so hard, especially at the notion that this man would do anything to please you. He also told me about the time Bob was working on the roof and lost the ladder from underneath him and began calling for you. He told me that you ran out, saw Bob dangling from the roof, ran back inside to grab the camera, and then only after taking a picture, proceeded to rescue Bob with the ladder. I thought the two of you were so perfect for each other, and enjoyed your sense of humor. I grieve for Bob for my own selfish reasons, but I know that he is in peace and is with his family and friends that have passed. I had a dream after my mother’s death where I was asking her what heaven was like. She told me in my dream that it was not describable in our words, that it was not something I could understand because it was better than anything I have known or could imagine. I know that Bob is there, and that he isn’t feeling the pain that we are feeling here on earth. I have prayed many times that my mother and grand-fathers would meet him in heaven since they were unable to meet here on earth, and I know that they will be there waiting for him. I am sure of that. The best gift you, Bob, and Jan could have ever given to me was instilling in Jeremy the same virtues of loyalty, kindness, gentleness, patience, and devotion. I know that you and Bob had true love. I feel that by your example, you have given Jeremy the biggest heart I have ever known, and the capacity to love me the way that Bob loved you. Thank you both so much for that. We will live by your example. I love you, Mimi.
–Love, Jennifer
Dear Aunt Wilda, Jan, Diane, and your families:
I was sorry to hear about Uncle Bob. I have so many fond memories of our visits with y’all over the years. I guess the last time I saw you was when you brought the mobile home down to Alice to visit Mammaw. It sounded like you had so much fun together traveling around the country. I only wish we’d had a chance to get together again since then.
Please know you’re all in our thoughts.
Love,
Karen and Herb
Wilda, Bob was lifelong friend. Please accept my sympathy. You and your family are in my prayers.
Dear Wilda,
Sorry to hear of Bob’s passing but so glad to know he’s in our Saviou’s house. We’ll all meet again some day and hopefully revisit our school days at WEHS. I’m praying for you and your family.
Wilda,Jan and Diane and all the family. We can’t tell you how sorry we were to hear about Bob. We grew up together and I remember Mom dressing us as twins until we were ten or twelve years old. I can’t tell you how much I will miss Bob. Bob was the strong one in the family. He could make decisions and stick with them, you could see in you all how a family should be, loving and caring. I remember telling my class lots of stories of Bob and one yesterday at church reminded me of how much I talked about him in class. One thing that was always true. Kay particularly, when Bob would ask don’t you want to stay with us would say yes, yes, yes. But what I told the kids was that Bob could come into my class room and at the end would know every kid, what he wanted to do, where he wanted to go to school, and all about him. I could come into the room, and if no one spoke to me, I wouldn’t speak to them and we would leave not knowing a thing about each other. We will miss Bob. We love you all and will be in spirit with you today. All our love Jeep and Helen
Dear Wilda, We share your sorrow in your loss. Bobwas one of a kind and hewill be missed by manyfriends. If we can be of help to you, please let us know. Love, Helene & Mel
Wilda,
Our prayers are with you during this hour of sorrow.
Bill & Jo Ann Reaves
Dear Diane,
Please accept my heartfelt condolences for you and your family on the death of your father.
–Maury
Lillieth Rushing and Family send our prayers and love.
Babs Prater
Dear Wilda and family,
I learned of Bob’s passing in today’s paper. Bob was my first cousin. George Chester Draper,Sr. and my mom, Edna Grace (Draper) Atkins were brother and sister.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and the family as you face this most difficult time in life.
‘God looked around His garden and found an empty space, He then looked down upon the earth and saw Bob’s weary face. He put His arms around him, yes…and lifted him to rest. God’s Garden must be beautiful, He only takes the best! He knew that Bob was suffering and He knew he was in pain. He knew that Bob would never get well upon this earth again. He saw the road was getting rough and the hills were hard to climb, So He closed his weary eyelids and whispered, ‘Peace Be Thine. It broke our hearts to lose him, but he did not go alone, For parts of us were with him, the day God called him home. His presence is ever near us, His love remains with us yet. He was the kind of father and husband, His loved ones will never forget.’
Daddy Bob’s greatest legacy to his family and friends is surely his infectious happiness and his ability to befriend everyone he ever met. He is undoubtedly irreplacable, but never forgetable. Daddy Bob’s positive effect on us will continue to be seen throughout our families and our future generations. While everyone knows that he was an excellent friend, I think that his ability to achieve and to teach success is also noteworthy. Being the role model that he was, he inspired, and continues to inspire, every decendant of his to strive for great things. I know that words cannot accurately describe the pride he felt for his grandchildren, and the lessons he gave to us will never be lost.
Dear Aunt Wilda,Jan and Diane.I’m so sorry for your loss.Uncle Bob was a special man and I will miss him.Give my condolensces to the rest of the family. Sincerely,Kay
Dear Mimi and family,
I am so sorry for your loss. Daddy Bob was such a loving person. In the short time that I knew him I never saw anything less than a smile on his face. I remember the first time I met Daddy Bob, it was around Christmas time in Houston. He was so kind to me, greeting me with warm open arms. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend to all that knew him. Daddy Bob has a special place in my heart and mind. I will never forget him. I will hold close his words of wisdom and warmth. One day I hope to see his smile again.
Love,
Ashley Clark
Dear Aunt Wilda, Jan, and Diane, I was so sorry to hear about Uncle Bob. My memories of him all include the biggest smile and most caring attitude of just about anybody I have met. About a year ago a man came to work for my company and officed on the same floor as I do. He has an uncanny resemblance to Uncle Bob, including the smile. Every time I see him I am reminded of Uncle Bob and the wonderful person he was. I got a glimpse of the tremendous impact he has had on people by reading the entries in the guestbook. What a marvelous testimony to his life of faith and compassion. I look forward to seeing you soon. May God continue to bless you as he did by bringing Uncle Bob into your lives. Love always, Valarie, Jerry, Mark, and Julie Goldapp
I signed the guestbook at the service, but I knew Bob wouldn’t consider it complete unless it was done digitally. My sincere condolences, Wilda.
We were sorry to hear of your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Jack & Wanda (Biggs) Webb. (I am Helen’s sister)
We just learned of Bob’s passing today. We are so sorry for Bob’s suffering, your pain, and the grief you are now feeling. We know you have heard alot of scriptures lately,but take solace in knowing ‘God knows the plans He has for you.. they are for good and not evil. .’Jeremiah 29:11. We continue to keep you in our prayers. With much love, Jackie & Dan.
Dear Wilda and Family,
When I worked for Bob in Jakarta he treated me right. We grieve with you and express our condolences.
Larry and Peggy