This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
08/03/2011 12:00 AMJohn Francis Kapfer, 85, of Lawrence, Kansas, died at his home on July 31. He was the husband of the late Johanne Marie Vaughn, whom he married on June 12, 1949 in St. Joseph, Missouri. She predeceased him on May 11, 2010. Mr. Kapfer was born on Feb. 10, 1926 in Page City, Kansas, son of the late George Lewis and Ruby Pauline Lowe Kapfer. He graduated from Liberty Memorial High School in 1943 and earned a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering from the University of Kansas in 1949.
Mr. Kapfer served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1944 to 1945. He owned Kapfer Construction Company for many years and was employed by Lawrence Unified School District No. 497 as the director of maintenance and operations. He was a dedicated alum of Phi Gamma Delta at KU and a member of the Big Blue Sportsmen’s Club.
He is survived by a son, Mark Kapfer and wife Linda of Olathe, Kansas; two daughters, Kelley Kapfer and her partner Leslie Dumke of Guilford, and Kerry Kapfer of Lawrence, Kansas; a brother, Ronnie C. Kapfer of Lawrence, Kansas; three grandchildren, Mark II, Trey, and Madison; and three nieces, Jennifer Wyatt, Sarah Whittington, and Amy Blankenbiller. He is also survived by his caregiver, Jana Snyder of Lawrence, Kansas. He was predeceased by a son, John Francis Kapfer, Jr., and a brother, Charles W. Kapfer.
Memorial services, officiated by Chaplain Wilton Detweiler, will take place at 1 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5, at the Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, Lawrence, Kansas, followed by burial in Memorial Park Cemetery. The family suggests that memorials be made to Grace Hospice or to the Lawrence Humane Society, sent in care of Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home & Crematory, 601 Indiana St., Lawrence, KS 66044. Online condolences may be posted at www.rumsey-yost.com.