Valva Draper, 80, Las Vegas, formerly of Belmond, died July 26, 2007. Services will be Friday, August 3 at 1:30 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Belmond with Pastor Lowell Halvorson officiating. Burial will be in Belmond Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday, August 2 from 5-7 p.m. at Dugger Ewing Funeral Home in Belmond and continue one hour prior to service at the church.

  Valva was born in Kanawha on June 10, 1927, the daughter of Martin and Caroline Hefte Nelson. She attended school in the Kanawha area. In 1943 she married Gerald Draper. They lived on their farm outside of Belmond until 1956. They divorced in 1957. Valva attended cosmetology school and opened a salon in Belmond which she operated until 1965 when she and her daughters moved to Santa Barbara, CA. When her son Larry was discharged from the Army he joined them. Val continued her career as a cosmetologist until 1991 when she retired and moved to Las Vegas.

  She enjoyed doing crafts, puzzles, seek and find books, and most of all puttering in her garden. Valva was a loving and devoted mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She was member of the ELCA Lutheran Church.

  She was preceded in death by her parents; son Timothy; daughters Nancy, Kathy and Linda; and nine brothers and sisters.

  Survivors include her children Larry (Cheryl) of Salt Lake City and Judy Evangelisti Huth (Bob) of Las Vegas; son-in-law Dennis Whipple of Salt Lake City; ten grandchildren; eleven great grandchildren; and brothers Harold (Doris) Nelson of Belmond and Roger (Barbara) Nelson and Dale (LuAnn) Nelson all of Santa Barbara.