04/02/2026
JIM RAPALEE
JANUARY 11, 1943 – FEBRUARY 8, 2026
Virginia Taxidermist, James Edwin Rapalee, 83, went to be with our Lord on February 8, 2026.
Jim grew up in Santa Cruz, California, and Powhatan County, Virginia. After graduating from Powhatan High School in 1960, he served four years in the United States Navy, where he worked as a mechanic on the flight deck, repairing helicopters. Jim began pursuing his true calling of taxidermy full time in 1970.
In 1956 at the age of 13, Jim took The Northwestern School of Taxidermy correspondence course through the mail to learn taxidermy. He continued taxidermy as a hobby throughout his teenage years and into adulthood. Later, he apprenticed for several years under the late John Woodson of Woodson’s Taxidermy.
Jim was always one to test new ideas, and in the era of lead earliners, he was looking for better alternatives. Jim experimented with auto body filler, Bondo, in whitetail ears and found out it worked well. He shared his new idea with Mr. Woodson, who in turn shared the Bondo idea with others in the taxidermy trade. For decades, the Bondo method became the industry standard until the introduction of plastic ear liners that covered most species.
In 1970, Jim founded Rapalee Taxidermy in Goochland County. Jim’s talent and artistic ability enabled Rapalee Taxidermy to flourish, eventually outgrowing his backyard studio. He moved the business to a second location in the late 1970s. His new building provided the opportunity to be more creative with the showroom. Jim created a showroom out of rustic barn wood. He filled it with Virginia game, a collection of non-typical whitetail antlers, and other North American big game species, showcased in their natural habitats.
On September 27th, 1980, Jim was at the very first meeting to form the Virginia Taxidermists Association. As with his idea of using Bondo, he was always open to sharing new ideas with his fellow taxidermists as well as learning from others. In 1997, Jim was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and was given three months to live. To concentrate fully on his fight against cancer, Jim transferred operation of the business into the capable hands of his son Todd. Thankfully, Jim survived his cancer battle and was able to return to work until his official retirement in 2007. During the decade between Jim’s cancer diagnosis and retirement, he was proud to watch his son—who shared his deep passion—continue cultivating and expanding the business and family legacy. In 2002, Todd built a third location, a state-of-the-art facility that enabled Rapalee Taxidermy to branch out into mounting more large game from around the world, as well as take on large-scale habitat projects. Jim enjoyed spending his last decade working on everything from elephants to Marco Polo sheep. Todd and grandson Dillon proudly carry on his legacy as second- and third-generation taxidermists. We were blessed to call him husband, dad, father-in-law, grandpa, and great-grandpa. He will be missed beyond words.
—Vickie Gutshall Rapalee
