In Memory: William R. Kappus, Age 72
William R. Kappus died on July 5, 2021 in Spartanburg, South Carolina surrounded by the love of his family. The son of George D. and Margaret E. Kappus, Bill was born April 18, 1949 and raised in Rye, NY. He graduated from Rye High School. He attended the George Washington University and earned a degree in History from Franklin Pierce College.
Bill worked in natural resources, travel, and hospitality, concluding his career at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He lived planning one adventure to the next. Bill loved to read, sometimes the same books over and over. He was a life-long devotee of photography, history, and political studies. He traveled as frequently as possible, visiting all 50 U.S. states, including a cross country drive to Alaska, and four continents.
In 2015 he walked The Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James, in Galicia, Spain. He managed this pilgrimage despite his weakened health and returned filled with inspiration. Bill’s passion for gravesite photography allowed him to research and bring to life stories of the famous, infamous, and sometimes forgotten people. He also photographed cathedra to learn about church architecture and history. Time, not enthusiasm, kept him from journeying further. Typically, calm, cool, and collected, he thought before he spoke, gratefully ate what he was served, opened the door, and offered his chair to others.
Bill was a generous man, accompanying his mother-in-law to church on Sundays in her later years, helping family members in need, and always willing to lend an ear. He had a profound, positive impact on those whose lives he touched. For more than thirty years Bill was dedicated to his late wife, Patricia, whom he met as a teen.
Bill is survived by his daughters Anne Raiken, Katherine Kappus-Tramel and Margaret Tigre; his dear companion Priscilla Lewis; his sons-in-law Lee Raiken, James Tramel and Marcos Tigre; his granddaughter Beatrice and grandsons William, Phineas and Mathias; his brother and sister-in-law George and Barbara Kappus; and his extended family-in-law the Fogartys, originally of Rye, NY. A funeral mass will be held for Bill at St. Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg, VA on August 18, 2021 at 11:00 AM. Should friends desire to honor Bill, in lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to the American Pilgrims of Camino.
