Obituaries / LJWorld.com

Obituaries

Memorial services for John Francis Kapfer, 85, Lawrence, will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, with the Chaplain Wilton Detweiler officiating. Inurnment will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery.
Mr. Kapfer died Sunday, July 31, 2011, at his home.
He was born Feb. 10, 1926, in Page City, Kan., the son of 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 Kansas University in 1949.
Mr. Kapfer served in the Army Air Corps from 1944 to 1945. He owned Kapfer Construction company for many years. He was employed by Lawrence Unified School District No. 497 as the director of maintenance and operations. He was an alumnus of Phi Gamma Delta at KU and a member of the Big Blue Sportsmen’s Club.
He married Johanne Marie Vaughn on June 12, 1949, in St. Joseph, Mo. She preceded him in death May 11, 2010.
He was also preceded in death by his parents, a son, John Francis Kapfer Jr., and a brother Charles W. Kapfer.
Survivors include a son, Mark Kapfer and wife Linda, Olathe; two daughters, Kelley Kapfer and partner Leslie Dumke, Guilford, Conn., and Kerry Kapfer, Lawrence; a brother, Ronnie C. Kapfer, Lawrence; three grandchildren, Mark II, Trey and Madison; three nieces, Jennifer Wyatt, Sarah Whittington and Amy Blankenbiller; and his caregiver, Jana Snyder, Lawrence.
The family suggests memorials to Grace Hospice or the Lawrence Humane Society, sent in care of Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home & Crematory, 601 Ind., Lawrence, KS 66044.
Online condolences may be sent at rumsey-yost.com