James Drury, Helped Develop Drury Hotel Chain And Mid-Americal Hotels, 78

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James Drury

James Lambert Drury, 78, of Cape Girardeau [Missouri] died Monday,
March 17, 2008, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center.

Jim was born November 22, 1929, in St. Louis [Missouri] to Lambert and
Lorraine Dohogne Drury. He and Charlotte Gail Taylor were married
April 7, 1994, in Cape Girardeau.

Jim loved Cape Girardeau and the surrounding communities and always
promoted what he felt was in their best interest. Those who knew Jim
well also know that he was a very private person when it came to
giving and making things happen. He gave generously to people and
causes both at home and in other parts of the world.

Jim was a prominent businessman in Cape Girardeau with roots in the
region dating to when Lambert Drury, his father, struggled to save
$4,000 working as a plasterer in St. Louis to purchase the Kelso farm
in 1927.

His family entered the hotel business in 1960 with a franchise from
Holiday Inn to build a hotel in Cape Girardeau. That hotel opened in
1961. He was founder of Midamerica Hotels Corp., which began in 1968
as the central location where the family operates the business. Jim,
with his brothers, was also a founder of the Drury Inn hotel chain.

He belonged to Missouri National Guard, International Association of
Holiday Inns (IAHI), National Franchise Association (NFA) of Burger
King, for several years to the elite Licensee Education Group (LEG) of
only 20 Burger King franchisees where he was a founding member. Jim
was also a member of Southeast Missouri Hospital Association, Chamber
of Commerce, Kelso Chapter of Knights of Columbus and a charter member
of Southeast Missouri State University Copper Dome Society.

One of Jim's great loves was baseball/softball, where he played on the
Kelso fast pitch team as pitcher. He was so successful he was invited
to the Pirates Baseball Club, but was called home by his father
because he was needed in the family plastering business.

Jim is survived by his wife, Charlotte; four children with his former
wife, Wanda Lee Burger Drury, Daniel (Karla) Drury, John (Anita)
Drury, Ken Drury, and Diane (Kevin) Edwards, all of Cape Girardeau;
three brothers, Charles L. (Shirley) Drury of St. Louis, Robert A.
(Carmen) Drury of San Antonio, Texas, and Jerry M. (Katie) Drury of
Cape Girardeau; four sisters; Mary Jane Jansen (Jim) Ford, Patricia A.
(Theon) Schlosser, Nancy K. (David) Pfeiffer and Victoria L. (Ted)
Hahn, both of Cape Girardeau.

Also 11 grandchildren, Jordan Drury, Justin Drury, and Jamie (Matt)
McDowell of Cape Girardeau, Ashley Drury of Naples, Florida, Dylan
Drury of Cape Girardeau, Natalee, Colton and Lexis Edwards of Cape
Girardeau, and Morgan, Koby and Kendall Drury of Cape Girardeau; and
two great-grandchildren, Hunter Drury and Daniel Jerry "D.J." McDowell
of Cape.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Lambert and Lorraine Dohogne
Drury; an infant daughter, Donna Kay Drury; a brother, Thomas J.
(Rita) Drury; and a granddaughter, Lacey Nicole Edwards.

http://www.semissourian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080319/RECORDS01/109595212

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