John F. Kappauf, Sr.

John F. Kappauf Sr., age 94, of Wilmington, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend, passed away peacefully on May 7th, 2026 in Wilmington, DE.

John was born May 17, 1931 in Wilmington, DE and was the 4th of 5 children born to Charles and Louise.

He grew up with a passion for sports, family, music and all things Philadelphia sports (GO BIRDS!). He was a veteran of the US Marines.

He will be remembered for his deep love of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  He also enjoyed baking, gardening, listening to music, and is known for his patriotism and love of his country, his sense of humor, and his amateur carpentry skills. He loved his time on his annual retreats with the Men of Malvern, of which he attended for more than 50 years.

John will be missed and remembered by his beloved wife of 72 years, Dorothy, whom he was the sole care giver for approximately 10 years, until he could no longer do so; his sons, John F Kappauf Jr (Jan), Lawrence Kappauf (Melinda); his daughters, Dorothy Kappauf, Barabara Krooss and Bernadette Kappauf; his 12 grandchildren, Zach, Michelle, Laura, Kirsten, Kaleigh, Kori, Brittany, Emily, Kevin, Victoria, Craig and Ashley; and his 13 great-grandchildren.

Family and friends are invited to visit on Tuesday, May 19th, 2026 from 10AM-11AM at St. Hedwig’s Roman Catholic Church, 408 S Harrison St, Wilmington, DE 19805, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11AM.  A committal service will be held the following day, Wednesday, May 20th, 2026, at 10AM in the chapel at the Delaware Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery, 2465 Chesapeake City Rd., Bear, DE 19701.

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