Memorial Expenses for Larry Drouse

My father, Larry Alan Drousé, 67, of Alpine, CA, unexpectedly passed away on December 28, 2021, due to heart failure surrounded by loving family at home in Alpine, CA. We are asking for memorial donations to help the family with the expenses. A celebration of life will be held January 9, 2022, at 12:00 p.m at the Alpine Community Center (1830 Alpine Blvd., Alpine, CA, 91901). He was a devoted and proud husband, father, grandfather, and great- grand father. He is loved and cherished and will be missed by so many people.

Obituary:

Larry was born on May 30, 1954, in Denver, CO, the son of parents Alvin Murray Rosenstein and Shirley Beatrice Rosenstein (née Stein). After Alvin and Shirley divorced, Shirley married Gilbert Drousé who adopted Larry at the age of four. They moved to Las Vegas, NV, several years later where Larry was raised.

Larry graduated from Valley High School in Las Vegas, NV, in 1972, where he competed in wrestling and track, played saxophone in the band, and started working in restaurants. Then he went on to study at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, earning a BS in Hotel Administration. During his college years, he met his first wife Sevdâ Aleckson (née Küpoğlu), mother of Michelle Drousé Woodhouse. Later, he earned an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He also earned the following certificates from the University of Nevada, Reno: Executive Development Program certification in “Casinos: Management and Strategy in a Dynamic Environment,” “Advanced Management of Slot Operations” certificate, and “Designing and Implementing a Customer Service Plan for a Casino” certificate.

Larry married spouse Kathi Drousé (née Kopfer) on January 1, 1991, in Las Vegas, NV. Soon after their marriage, they moved from Las Vegas, NV, to Alpine, CA, where they have enjoyed raising their children, grandchildren and great grandchild. They were married for 30 years.

Larry’s career was in the hospitality and Tribal gaming industry in Las Vegas, NV, and in Southern CA. Most recently, he was the General Manager at the Red Earth Casino in Salton Sea, CA. He was also the General Manager at the Golden Acorn Casino and held executive management positions at Caesars World, Viejas Casino and Resort and Sycuan Casino where he was recognized as Employee of the Month. Earlier in his career, he designed, implemented, and opened the poker room at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. He was named the “Renaissance Man” and was recognized in an article Card Player Magazine. He went on to open the poker rooms at Hacienda Hotel and Casino and at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. He was incredibly skilled in his profession where he effectively led multidisciplinary teams of hundreds of personnel to achieve excellence. He was so committed to the success of the businesses he led that even his personal license plate read “EBITDA,” which is a measure of a company’s financial performance. Larry took pride in his hands-on-approach to managing his teams and developed relationships with every employee. He will be remembered for consistently sharing his appreciation for his teams and taking the time to get to know them all.

Larry was a member of the Kappa-Alpha Chapter of The Kappa Sigma Fraternity at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the Hotel and Restaurant Employees and Bartenders International Union.

Larry especially loved spending time with his family and supported his family members selflessly by attending their numerous athletic, dance, theater and academic events. He enjoyed taking road trips, watching movies, going to restaurants, and listening to jazz, rhythm and blues, and music by Frank Sinatra.

Larry will be remembered for his outgoing, upbeat, fun personality and hilarious sense of humor. Larry had a thirst for knowledge and enjoyed deep conversations and discussions about life - he was a gifted storyteller. He especially enjoyed learning about and discussing science, history, and politics.

Remaining to cherish Larry’s memory are his spouse Kathi Drousé; children, Kelli Thomas, Stan Van Gorden, Michelle Drousé Woodhouse, Nicole Drousé; grandchildren, Miranda Wythe, Coral Thomas, Max Van Gorden, Ava Woodhouse, Baylee Bowman, Lana Woodhouse, Zane Bowman; great-grandchild, Alila Wythe; aunt, Bobbie Chaim; and family members, Tristin Runge, Laurel Runge, Anna Ghaffari, Alex Friday, Anthony Friday, Treasure Brown, and Troy Pistol.