Hampton – Kenneth E. “Smokey” Draper Sr., 91, of Hampton, formerly of Wilton, NH, died on Sunday, August 1, 2010 at the Rockingham County Nursing Home in Brentwood.

Mr. Draper was born in Wilton, a son of the late George G. and Hattie (Washburn) Draper.

Ken was a lifelong resident of Wilton. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1938, was discharged in 1941, then re-enlisted upon the start of WWII. After honorably serving his country in the Pacific Theatre, Ken returned home, and in 1946, married the love of his life, Gladys (Cuddihy) Draper. Ken owned and operated Ken’s Texaco for 5 years before going to work for Abbott Machine Company of Wilton. He retired from Abbott Machine in 1980.

Ken was very active in the Wilton community. He was a member of American Legion Post 10 and firing squad commander for nearly 60 years, a past member of the Lion’s Club, coached Little League baseball, and was the timekeeper for the Wilton High School soccer team for many years. He also worked as the maintenance man and groundskeeper for the Gregg Free Public Library in Wilton, often volunteering his boys’ strong backs in keeping the library looking nice.

He and Gladys moved to Hampton in 1997 to be near family and shortly after the move, Gladys, his wife of over 51 years, passed away. He was also predeceased by his brothers, Norman, George and Donald Draper and his sister Frances Schultz.

Family members include his sons, Kenneth Draper Jr. and his wife Karen of Reading, MA and Kevin Draper of Hampton, his brother Phillip Draper of Nashua and his beloved grandchildren, Julie, Elizabeth, and Scott Draper, and many nieces, nephews.

Visiting hours will be from 6 to 8 PM on Thursday, August 5, 2010 in the Remick & Gendron Funeral Home-Crematory, 811 Lafayette Rd., Hampton. Services will be held at 10 AM on Friday in the funeral home. Burial with military honors will follow in the High Street Cemetery, Hampton. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. In lieu of flowers, donations in Ken’s name may be made to the Wilton Lyndeborough Junior Athletic Association, PO Box 147, Wilton, NH 03086 or to the Seacoast Visiting Nurses, c/o Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA), Attn: Finance, 900 19th Street, NW Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006. An online guest book is available at www.RemickGendron.com.