Angeline "Angie" Laura Draper 's Obituary
Angie Draper passed away peacefully with family at her side on October 22, 2019, in Tallahassee, Fl. Born and named Angeline Laura Postma on February 21, 1929, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Angie spent her teens in Holland, Mich., and then made Florida her home for 70 years.
Angie's love of all animals, especially horses; her artistic talent; and fierce determination led to a 50-year career as a commissioned equine artist. She was internationally renowned for her paintings of Florida-bred national racing champions including Carry Back, Rough ‘n Tumble and Affirmed as well as top Thoroughbred racehorses in the US, Panama and Mexico. Her work was featured in the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs, NY., and appeared in many equine magazines. She also illustrated Man o’ War by Walter Farley and several books in Farley’s Black Stallion series for young adults. Many of Angie's oil paintings of outstanding Florida Thoroughbreds are displayed in the Hall of Fame at the Florida Thoroughbred Owners’ and Breeders’ Association headquarters in Ocala, Fl., as well as numerous private collections. She spoke to students and sketched horses at numerous school Library Week events and supported the Black Stallion Literacy Project.
As a teenager in Holland Angie worked as a stable hand so she could ride and show borrowed horses. She moved to Sarasota, Fl., in 1948 to study at the Ringling School of Art, working her way through Ringling as both a lifeguard and housecleaner. She credited her favorite high school art teacher with nurturing her desire to illustrate horse books and paint horses.
Survivors include daughters Patricia A. Draper, Tallahassee, Fl.; Jean L. Mills (Gene), Lithia, Fl.; and brother Arnold Postma, Sarasota, Fl. She was preceded in death by mother Anna Beld Gray and father Harold F. Postma; brothers Charles, Herbert, Alfred and Earl; and former husband Arthur D. Draper. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.
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