Ducks Unlimited honors Napier's legacy at banquet

By ROBERT JAMES

Managing Editor

More than 150 people crowded into the the 25th-annual Ducks Unlimited Kootenai Valley Chapter banquet and auction Friday night and helped honor long-time committee member and Honorary Memorial Chairman Larry Napier.

Napier passed away suddenly while working on this year's banquet plans, a typical day for the dedicated man, Greg Johnson said.

Janene Grende served with Napier on the local committee for years before moving to Sandpoint. He would always help her when she needed it, and this year, he called to ask her personally to come to the Bonners Ferry banquet.

"He came down the week before he died and asked me to come," she said. "He said we were the last two original committee members."

Grende donated an artist's proof of one of her paintings. Entitled "The Comfort Zone," Napier picked it out himself. He thought it would be perfect, she said.

At the banquet, there was a moment of silence to honor the man who had dedicated so much to the Ducks Unlimited cause. Even the heater shut off inside the building when everyone bowed their heads.

Napier's pocket watch was auctioned off to raise money for the Larry Napier Kootenai Valley Greenwing Legacy Memorial Program. The proceeds from the sale will be used to sponsor youths to attend next year's banquet.

Other items auctioned off included knives, shotguns, rifles, decoys, even a camouflage wagon.

Conrad Garner took over organization of the banquet and worked very hard for the last month to make sure the event went smoothly. More people attended this year's banquet than ever before in recent memory, John Standal, Ducks Unlimited committee member said.