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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Crash claims bar trendsetter

Andrew Gumprecht, 32, died in a traffic accident Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2008, on Interstate 90 near the Sherman exit in North Idaho. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
A veteran Spokane bartender who was one of the trendsetters in the nightlife of the Inland Northwest was killed Tuesday night when the vehicle he was driving was involved in a head-on collision on Interstate 90 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho State Police reported today. Andrew F. Gumprecht, 32, of Post Falls, died at the scene of the accident at 11:14 p.m. Gumprecht was driving west in his Hyundai Elantra in the eastbound lanes of I-90 near milepost 14, which is located west of the Sherman Avenue exit. His vehicle collided with a tractor-trailer truck driven by Tony J. Love, 42, of Swan Lake, Mont. The accident closed I-90 at the time. ISP officers said alcohol may have been a factor, and that an investigation was continuing. A 2007 feature news story in The Spokesman-Review said that Gumprecht was the beverage director for Cuisine NW and had been overseeing beverage menus at popular restaurants such as Bluefish, Soleil and others. Cuisine NW, of Spokane, is a locally-owned restaurant management and catering company seeking a level of sophistication and style, according to its Web site. He reportedly was seeking a new position in recent days, according to Mike Ravens, co-owner of Cavallino and 360 lounges in Spokane. Ravens said he wanted to offer customers great cocktails. “He was very passionate about what he did,” he said. He was the son of Dr. Donald Gumprecht of Springfield, Ill., and grandson of Drs. Don and Jane Gumprecht of Coeur d’Alene. Kevin Marshall, a former co-worker and friend, said Andrew Gumprecht was well known and popular. “He was a good story teller. He was a food and beverage connoisseur,” he said. “You’d go into a bar. Everybody knew him.”