Capers, Fred Wallis Jr. – 1947-2009

BROWN, CAPERS, DECARDENAS, HEFFNER

Posted By: JCGS Volunteer
Date: 1/11/2010 at 14:58:22

Fred Wallis Capers Jr., 62, of Grinnell died Friday, Dec. 25, 2009, at the Mayflower Health Care Center in Grinnell.
Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 2, at the Grinnell United Methodist Church with the Rev. Len Eberhart officiating. Organ music will be provided by Bill Tinker and vocal music by Milton Severe. Pallbearers will be Andrew Barnum, Jim Griggs, Douglas Brockman, Scott Ross, Tom Wolff, Jim White, Gary Wilkinson, Ozzie Austin, Jerry Sale and Dale Lamb. Burial will be in Hazelwood Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Drake Community Library in his name.
The son of Fred Wallis and Veronica Brown Capers, he was born June 23, 1947, in San Francisco, Calif. He spent his childhood in Princeton, N.J., Key West, Fla., and Miami, Fla., before attending Miami Dade Community College and the University of Florida. He spent the next two years studying meditation and holistic medicine at the Edgar Cayce foundation in Virginia Beach, Va.
He met his future wife, Susan Heffner, while visiting with Gary Wilkinson of Grinnell in early 1974, and they were united in marriage on Nov. 9, 1974, in Princeton, N.J. The couple initially made their home in Cranbury, N.J., where they had three children, a set of triplets. Fred started his professional life with New York Life as an insurance agent in Cranbury and surrounding communities.
Fred returned with his young family in 1976 to Grinnell, where they have made their home since. His passion and dedication were to his family and children. He spent many years researching and seeking out alternative medical and holistic methods to treat first his daughter’s bout with leukemia and following that his son’s devastating brain injury. He could often be found sharing this knowledge with others about town. He owned and operated Town Square Travel in Newton, Iowa, for many years before closing the business in 2004. He and his family could often be found traveling. They completed a trip through Europe and the Middle East in 1985, visiting 12 countries in three months. Later he embarked on a number of cross country road trips with his wife and children to explore the great national parks and mountain states.
He is survived by his wife, Susan Capers; his daughter, Celeste Capers of St. Louis, Mo.; and his sister, Stacy DeCardenas of Coral Gables, Fla. He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Veronica Capers, and his two sons, Justin and Andrew Capers.
Source: Newton Daily News; Wednesday, December 30, 2009