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Orville James ‘Shorty’ Drapeau, 88

Orville James “Shorty” Drapeau, 88, of Post Falls, Idaho, passed away peacefully at the Schneidmiller Hospice House of North Idaho on July 8, 2018.

He was born on March 28, 1930, in Bellevue, Idaho to Eldamore and Ivy (Thompson) Drapeau. He spent his early years in a number of Idaho towns as his father followed mining, railroad and farming jobs before settling in the Coeur d’Alene area.

Shorty married Ethel Meads in 1951 in Coeur d’Alene. He served two years in the United States Army in the Korean War from 1952 to 1954.

He worked for Bunker Hill Mine as a skip tender. He was known throughout the mine for his practical jokes and whopper tales that earned him a spot in the book, “A Room For The Summer.”

In pre-Olympic boxing tryouts he was the lone Idahoan to win the title in the 1st Annual Inland Empire A.A.U. Boxing Tournament, where he went on to win the Golden Gloves. He enjoyed spending time at the stables and race track where he was a trainer and a jockey. He enjoyed jumping horses at the Hayden Lake Stables.

Shorty is survived by his loving wife of 67 years, Ethel at home; their five children and their spouses; Kelvin and Janie Drapeau, Star and Greg Hart, Kris and Nels Stemmene, Terry Drapeau and Patty and Mark Symons; 12 grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and his sister, Vera Otterson. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Carl, Elmer, Kenny, Bryan, Ronnie, Edwin, Delbert and Dempsey Drapeau and his sisters, Irene Lundbeck and Laveta Symons.

The family wishes to thank the nurses and caregivers at the Schneidmiller Hospice House of North Idaho for their loving care, as well as the caregivers at Crest Home Health, especially nurse, Tim and the wonderful Dr. Gibbon and his staff.

A military internment service will be held at 11:15 a.m. on Friday, July 13, 2018, at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery, 21702 W. Espanola Road, Medical Lake, Wash. A potluck will follow at the family home from 1 to 3 p.m. and an open house until 7 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials be made to the Schneidmiller Hospice House of North Idaho, 2290 W. Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815 in Shorty’s name.