(Contributed)ĭeBernardo, echoing the sentiments of those who knew Draper, said the larger-than-life figure was quiet and soft-spoken, yet friendly and inspirational. “I never knew how much he impacted that timeframe until I heard it from Arnold,” said Soquel’s Frank DeBernardo, a gym member there for nearly a decade, “how important he was to the whole scene that was just evolving.”ĭave Draper, left, an iconic, world-class bodybuilder, with one of his World Gym members, Santa Cruz’s Curtis Busenhart, during the early ’90s. Schwarzenegger spoke glowingly about the man who pushed him and the sport to greater heights. Schwarzenegger was in attendance for the grand opening of World Gym, the current site of Paradigm Sport, near Harvey West Park. “Everyone who comes over remarks about it.” “It’s quite beautiful,” Laree said of the table. He stopped making furniture around 1990, when he opened World Gym in Santa Cruz.
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(Together, they created and sold a whey protein called, “Bomber Blend.”)Īn accomplished woodsman, their house is full of his creations, including a dinner table crafted from wood previously used as lanes at the now defunct Capitola bowling alley. Love said Laree was a source of strength and inspiration for her husband. He is survived by two grandchildren, Tay Johnson and son Cooper Johnson, and a great granddaughter, Vivianne.ĭraper met Laree at Spa Fitness on 41st Avenue and they married in 1988. He was very generous and kind.”ĭraper and his first wife, Penny, moved to Santa Cruz County in 1979. “The thing I admired about Dave, he was consistent. “He lived a second career, a chance to live over again,” said Love, who baptized Draper at Santa Cruz Bible Church in ’85.
Dave Love, a family friend and the owner of Santa Cruz Chiropractic and Sports Medicine, admired Draper for his genuineness and integrity in his years of recovery. “But we wouldn’t be talking about him if he hadn’t done it. “Sure, he had regrets later,” Laree said of her husband’s steroid use. “Believe what you want, but that’s my story…”ĭraper also addressed his dependency issues while working with D.A.R.E. His faith helped him pull through, he wrote in a post on his webpage in 2012. He used a multitude of media platforms to discuss his alcohol, steroid, and drug addictions, the former led to congestive heart failure, and his sobriety since 1983. “A Glimpse in the Rear View,” “Brother Iron, Sister Steel,” “Iron on My Mind” and “Iron in My Hands” are among the highly regarded books he authored. (Frank DeBernardo – Contributed)ĭraper penned books, columns, and blog posts on his website,. My thoughts are with Laree and the whole family.”Ĭlients at World Gym in Santa Cruz pose with owner and world class bodybuilder Dave Draper, third row up on the far right, in 1990. I will miss the Blond Bomber, but his memory will always be with me. He was an amazing writer and a great family man. He couldn’t have been more welcoming, and he was a fantastic training partner who always pushed everyone around him in the gym to be better. Can you imagine meeting your idol and becoming his training partner and traveling all over the world together? I was in heaven.
He even hand-built my first furniture when I moved to Santa Monica, and let me tell you, he was talented. “When I got to America and finally met Dave, I learned his heart was as big as his pecs. In Austria, I kept his cover of Muscle Builder magazine on the wall above my bed for motivation, and when I saw him starring in “Don’t Make Waves,” I thought, “My dreams are possible. “Dave Draper was an inspiration to millions of people all over the world, including me,” Schwarzenegger wrote. Olympia titles, paid tribute to Draper on his Instagram page. Schwarzenegger paid tribute to Draper on Instagram on Tuesday, hours after Draper died at the age of 79. He also appeared on “The Beverly Hillbillies” and was a guest on “Pat Boone in Hollywood” in ’67 and “The Merv Griffin Show” in ’71.ĭave Draper, left, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, right, were friends and training partners during bodybuilding’s golden era.
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It, as his doctor told me a little while ago, was a good death.”ĭraper, born April 16, 1942, appeared on nearly a dozen TV shows and in multiple films, including “Lord Love a Duck” in ’66 and “Don’t Make Waves” in ’67. I was with him and it was calm and peaceful. “Hi friends, as the word’s getting out, I wanted to let you know so there’s no confusion,” she wrote, “Dave died early this morning.
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