Some call you Dad and some call you Papa. We already miss you! We love you Dad. Your son, Ronnie
“I have lived a good, long life! I’ve got memories and life experiences that are mine! And I married the most amazing woman. I’m ready to be with her.”
On Saturday, September 5, 2020, James Merritt Capps (Jim or Papa Capps), 88 years young, from Jasper, FL, took his last labored breath before breathing easy as he went to be with the love of his life, Bettie Frances Capps. Jim lived a full, adventurous, and blessed life and was a master storyteller. Everyone would be on the edge of their seats wanting to hear about him and his life. At the age of 88, he witnessed almost 9 decades of changes that occurred during his lifetime, experienced ups and downs and became so much the wiser because of it. Born on January 27, 1932 in Jacksonville, FL, he was a younger brother to his sister, Mozelle, and an older brother to his partner in crime, Fred. Papa shared that he was a pretty good fighter. When asked how he learned how to fight so good he said, “Back in those days, you wore hand-me-down clothes. Well, I had an older sister! I HAD to learn to fight.” (Another one of those stories he tells so well.) His parents, James Arthur and Mary Annie, strived to do their best in raising their family of 5; working from farm to farm, specializing in dairy farming and cattle. Times were hard. Papa would say they had three meals a day; no meal, oatmeal, and skip a meal. He may have been exaggerating a little. Living in Portsmouth, Virginia, Jim’s dad saw the ships and fire power coming on shore during World War II and by next morning, they were on their way inland. Jim didn’t know where they were headed but the next chapter was quite memorable. They headed for the North Carolina mountains. Biltmore Estates in Ashville became their home until Jim was about 15-16 years old. Jim became well versed in the daily duties surrounding dairy farming. Families would care for the cattle and Jim’s dad and uncle shared the responsibility of being in charge of one of the dairies. Though they were mere youngsters, the responsibility of caring for 67 dairy cows greatly fell on the shoulders of Jim and his brother, Fred. He learned the ropes, had a strict milking schedule (beginning at 1 o’clock in the morning) with school, homework, and evening chores, and became one of the best artificial inseminator breeders at the ripe age of 15. Five days after he turned 18, the next chapter of his life would be very different from the previous. He raised his right hand, swore to protect and serve, and boarded a ship headed for Korea. Not expecting war to be next as part of his history, he thought ‘What in the heck have I gotten myself into?’ But to war he went, making $3 a day. He served in the Chosin Reservoir Battle during the Korean War which occurred during three months of the coldest days he’s ever experienced in his life. And left him with memories that were painful to repeat. Once home from the military, Jim did a little local work, then decided he’d travel a bit around the United States. Having enough of that after about 3 months, he hitched hiked in one ride; from Reno, Nevada to Baltimore, Maryland. Once home again, he was introduced to Bettie Applewhite who after 9 months of courting and wooing, became his wife on February 7, 1957 for the next 59 plus years. Jim and Bettie began building their family with two boys, Ronnie and Ty while living in Portsmouth, Virginia. After moving to Florida in 1963, they had one more son named Ray who was born in 1964. Jim worked as the Foreman at Greenville Farms for 17 years doing dairy work. The dairy business moved to North Florida and Jim moved with it, until he retired with the North Florida Housing Authority in Jasper, FL. After retirement, Jim dedicated his full time and efforts to some of his favorite past times: wood working as he enjoyed building anything Bettie wanted, reading and studying the Bible, reading non-fiction books; especially those focused around military/war history and politics, continued to attend church, and was the master of word searches. He loved the Lord and he loved bluegrass. He also taught every grandchild, great grandchild, and great great grandchild that when he took the lid off the sugar jar, they were allowed to lick their finger, stick it in the sugar, swirl it around real good, then lick it clean. It was their secret… and everyone had that secret. Papa was certainly a joker, especially with the grands. He was always playing little tricks on them, telling jokes, stumping them with riddles and poems. He leaves an incredible legacy that every family member cherishes and a hollow void that everyone painfully bears. Papa Capps was one of a kind while being strong, faithful, loving, entertaining, and our rock.
Jim is survived by his three sons Ronnie Capps (Sharon) of Live Oak, FL, Ty Capps (Stephanie) of Madison, FL, and Ray Capps (Kanoye) of Lake City, FL; Ten Grandchildren: Puena Stacey of Lake City, FL, Candice Webb (Marc) of Lee, FL, Ty Capps (Melissa) of Jasper, FL, Tylyn Stansel of Live Oak, FL, Tina Wilson (David) of Waynesville, NC, Lindsay McLeod of Madison, FL, Dillon Pickles (Dominique) of Richmond Hill, GA, Casi Kapadia (Sonny) of Jacksonville, FL, Conan Capps (Raven) of Live Oak, FL, Zachary Capps of Lake City, FL; Eighteen Great Grandchildren: Cylent Parsons (Dakota), Cheyenne Stacey, Addison Webb, Hayleigh Capps, TyTy Capps, Annie Capps, Logan Stansel, Kenley Stansel, Jordan Wilson, Zeke Wilson, Amber McLeod, Austin McLeod, Abby McLeod, Brantley Thompson, Axl Capps, Ryatt Capps, Romee Kapadia, Eve Kapadia; Three Great-Great Grandchildren: Emerie Stacey, Canyon Parsons, and Ni’Klaus Parsons (due this month).
A graveside service will be held Saturday, September 19th at 9:00 am at Evergreen Cemetery in Jasper, FL.
“I have lived a good, long life! I’ve got memories and life experiences that are mine! And I married the most amazing woman. I’m ready to be with her.”
On Saturday, September 5, 2020, James Merritt Capps (Jim or Papa Capps), 88 years young, from Jasper, FL, took his last labored breath before breathing easy as he went to be with the love of his life, Bettie Frances Capps. Jim lived a full, adventurous, and blessed life and was a master storyteller. Everyone would be on the edge of their seats wanting to hear about him and his life. At the age of 88, he witnessed almost 9 decades of changes that occurred during his lifetime, experienced ups and downs and became so much the wiser because of it. Born on January 27, 1932 in Jacksonville, FL, he was a younger brother to his sister, Mozelle, and an older brother to his partner in crime, Fred. Papa shared that he was a pretty good fighter. When asked how he learned how to fight so good he said, “Back in those days, you wore hand-me-down clothes. Well, I had an older sister! I HAD to learn to fight.” (Another one of those stories he tells so well.) His parents, James Arthur and Mary Annie, strived to do their best in raising their family of 5; working from farm to farm, specializing in dairy farming and cattle. Times were hard. Papa would say they had three meals a day; no meal, oatmeal, and skip a meal. He may have been exaggerating a little. Living in Portsmouth, Virginia, Jim’s dad saw the ships and fire power coming on shore during World War II and by next morning, they were on their way inland. Jim didn’t know where they were headed but the next chapter was quite memorable. They headed for the North Carolina mountains. Biltmore Estates in Ashville became their home until Jim was about 15-16 years old. Jim became well versed in the daily duties surrounding dairy farming. Families would care for the cattle and Jim’s dad and uncle shared the responsibility of being in charge of one of the dairies. Though they were mere youngsters, the responsibility of caring for 67 dairy cows greatly fell on the shoulders of Jim and his brother, Fred. He learned the ropes, had a strict milking schedule (beginning at 1 o’clock in the morning) with school, homework, and evening chores, and became one of the best artificial inseminator breeders at the ripe age of 15. Five days after he turned 18, the next chapter of his life would be very different from the previous. He raised his right hand, swore to protect and serve, and boarded a ship headed for Korea. Not expecting war to be next as part of his history, he thought ‘What in the heck have I gotten myself into?’ But to war he went, making $3 a day. He served in the Chosin Reservoir Battle during the Korean War which occurred during three months of the coldest days he’s ever experienced in his life. And left him with memories that were painful to repeat. Once home from the military, Jim did a little local work, then decided he’d travel a bit around the United States. Having enough of that after about 3 months, he hitched hiked in one ride; from Reno, Nevada to Baltimore, Maryland. Once home again, he was introduced to Bettie Applewhite who after 9 months of courting and wooing, became his wife on February 7, 1957 for the next 59 plus years. Jim and Bettie began building their family with two boys, Ronnie and Ty while living in Portsmouth, Virginia. After moving to Florida in 1963, they had one more son named Ray who was born in 1964. Jim worked as the Foreman at Greenville Farms for 17 years doing dairy work. The dairy business moved to North Florida and Jim moved with it, until he retired with the North Florida Housing Authority in Jasper, FL. After retirement, Jim dedicated his full time and efforts to some of his favorite past times: wood working as he enjoyed building anything Bettie wanted, reading and studying the Bible, reading non-fiction books; especially those focused around military/war history and politics, continued to attend church, and was the master of word searches. He loved the Lord and he loved bluegrass. He also taught every grandchild, great grandchild, and great great grandchild that when he took the lid off the sugar jar, they were allowed to lick their finger, stick it in the sugar, swirl it around real good, then lick it clean. It was their secret… and everyone had that secret. Papa was certainly a joker, especially with the grands. He was always playing little tricks on them, telling jokes, stumping them with riddles and poems. He leaves an incredible legacy that every family member cherishes and a hollow void that everyone painfully bears. Papa Capps was one of a kind while being strong, faithful, loving, entertaining, and our rock.
Jim is survived by his three sons Ronnie Capps (Sharon) of Live Oak, FL, Ty Capps (Stephanie) of Madison, FL, and Ray Capps (Kanoye) of Lake City, FL; Ten Grandchildren: Puena Stacey of Lake City, FL, Candice Webb (Marc) of Lee, FL, Ty Capps (Melissa) of Jasper, FL, Tylyn Stansel of Live Oak, FL, Tina Wilson (David) of Waynesville, NC, Lindsay McLeod of Madison, FL, Dillon Pickles (Dominique) of Richmond Hill, GA, Casi Kapadia (Sonny) of Jacksonville, FL, Conan Capps (Raven) of Live Oak, FL, Zachary Capps of Lake City, FL; Eighteen Great Grandchildren: Cylent Parsons (Dakota), Cheyenne Stacey, Addison Webb, Hayleigh Capps, TyTy Capps, Annie Capps, Logan Stansel, Kenley Stansel, Jordan Wilson, Zeke Wilson, Amber McLeod, Austin McLeod, Abby McLeod, Brantley Thompson, Axl Capps, Ryatt Capps, Romee Kapadia, Eve Kapadia; Three Great-Great Grandchildren: Emerie Stacey, Canyon Parsons, and Ni’Klaus Parsons (due this month).
A graveside service will be held Saturday, September 19th at 9:00 am at Evergreen Cemetery in Jasper, FL.
Some call you Dad and some call you Papa. We already miss you! We love you Dad. Your son, Ronnie
“I have lived a good, long life! I’ve got memories and life experiences that are mine! And I married the most amazing woman. I’m ready to be with her.”
On Saturday, September 5, 2020, James Merritt Capps (Jim or Papa Capps), 88 years young, from Jasper, FL, took his last labored breath before breathing easy as he went to be with the love of his life, Bettie Frances Capps. Jim lived a full, adventurous, and blessed life and was a master storyteller. Everyone would be on the edge of their seats wanting to hear about him and his life. At the age of 88, he witnessed almost 9 decades of changes that occurred during his lifetime, experienced ups and downs and became so much the wiser because of it. Born on January 27, 1932 in Jacksonville, FL, he was a younger brother to his sister, Mozelle, and an older brother to his partner in crime, Fred. Papa shared that he was a pretty good fighter. When asked how he learned how to fight so good he said, “Back in those days, you wore hand-me-down clothes. Well, I had an older sister! I HAD to learn to fight.” (Another one of those stories he tells so well.) His parents, James Arthur and Mary Annie, strived to do their best in raising their family of 5; working from farm to farm, specializing in dairy farming and cattle. Times were hard. Papa would say they had three meals a day; no meal, oatmeal, and skip a meal. He may have been exaggerating a little. Living in Portsmouth, Virginia, Jim’s dad saw the ships and fire power coming on shore during World War II and by next morning, they were on their way inland. Jim didn’t know where they were headed but the next chapter was quite memorable. They headed for the North Carolina mountains. Biltmore Estates in Ashville became their home until Jim was about 15-16 years old. Jim became well versed in the daily duties surrounding dairy farming. Families would care for the cattle and Jim’s dad and uncle shared the responsibility of being in charge of one of the dairies. Though they were mere youngsters, the responsibility of caring for 67 dairy cows greatly fell on the shoulders of Jim and his brother, Fred. He learned the ropes, had a strict milking schedule (beginning at 1 o’clock in the morning) with school, homework, and evening chores, and became one of the best artificial inseminator breeders at the ripe age of 15. Five days after he turned 18, the next chapter of his life would be very different from the previous. He raised his right hand, swore to protect and serve, and boarded a ship headed for Korea. Not expecting war to be next as part of his history, he thought ‘What in the heck have I gotten myself into?’ But to war he went, making $3 a day. He served in the Chosin Reservoir Battle during the Korean War which occurred during three months of the coldest days he’s ever experienced in his life. And left him with memories that were painful to repeat. Once home from the military, Jim did a little local work, then decided he’d travel a bit around the United States. Having enough of that after about 3 months, he hitched hiked in one ride; from Reno, Nevada to Baltimore, Maryland. Once home again, he was introduced to Bettie Applewhite who after 9 months of courting and wooing, became his wife on February 7, 1957 for the next 59 plus years. Jim and Bettie began building their family with two boys, Ronnie and Ty while living in Portsmouth, Virginia. After moving to Florida in 1963, they had one more son named Ray who was born in 1964. Jim worked as the Foreman at Greenville Farms for 17 years doing dairy work. The dairy business moved to North Florida and Jim moved with it, until he retired with the North Florida Housing Authority in Jasper, FL. After retirement, Jim dedicated his full time and efforts to some of his favorite past times: wood working as he enjoyed building anything Bettie wanted, reading and studying the Bible, reading non-fiction books; especially those focused around military/war history and politics, continued to attend church, and was the master of word searches. He loved the Lord and he loved bluegrass. He also taught every grandchild, great grandchild, and great great grandchild that when he took the lid off the sugar jar, they were allowed to lick their finger, stick it in the sugar, swirl it around real good, then lick it clean. It was their secret… and everyone had that secret. Papa was certainly a joker, especially with the grands. He was always playing little tricks on them, telling jokes, stumping them with riddles and poems. He leaves an incredible legacy that every family member cherishes and a hollow void that everyone painfully bears. Papa Capps was one of a kind while being strong, faithful, loving, entertaining, and our rock.
Jim is survived by his three sons Ronnie Capps (Sharon) of Live Oak, FL, Ty Capps (Stephanie) of Madison, FL, and Ray Capps (Kanoye) of Lake City, FL; Ten Grandchildren: Puena Stacey of Lake City, FL, Candice Webb (Marc) of Lee, FL, Ty Capps (Melissa) of Jasper, FL, Tylyn Stansel of Live Oak, FL, Tina Wilson (David) of Waynesville, NC, Lindsay McLeod of Madison, FL, Dillon Pickles (Dominique) of Richmond Hill, GA, Casi Kapadia (Sonny) of Jacksonville, FL, Conan Capps (Raven) of Live Oak, FL, Zachary Capps of Lake City, FL; Eighteen Great Grandchildren: Cylent Parsons (Dakota), Cheyenne Stacey, Addison Webb, Hayleigh Capps, TyTy Capps, Annie Capps, Logan Stansel, Kenley Stansel, Jordan Wilson, Zeke Wilson, Amber McLeod, Austin McLeod, Abby McLeod, Brantley Thompson, Axl Capps, Ryatt Capps, Romee Kapadia, Eve Kapadia; Three Great-Great Grandchildren: Emerie Stacey, Canyon Parsons, and Ni’Klaus Parsons (due this month).
A graveside service will be held Saturday, September 19th at 9:00 am at Evergreen Cemetery in Jasper, FL.
“I have lived a good, long life! I’ve got memories and life experiences that are mine! And I married the most amazing woman. I’m ready to be with her.”
On Saturday, September 5, 2020, James Merritt Capps (Jim or Papa Capps), 88 years young, from Jasper, FL, took his last labored breath before breathing easy as he went to be with the love of his life, Bettie Frances Capps. Jim lived a full, adventurous, and blessed life and was a master storyteller. Everyone would be on the edge of their seats wanting to hear about him and his life. At the age of 88, he witnessed almost 9 decades of changes that occurred during his lifetime, experienced ups and downs and became so much the wiser because of it. Born on January 27, 1932 in Jacksonville, FL, he was a younger brother to his sister, Mozelle, and an older brother to his partner in crime, Fred. Papa shared that he was a pretty good fighter. When asked how he learned how to fight so good he said, “Back in those days, you wore hand-me-down clothes. Well, I had an older sister! I HAD to learn to fight.” (Another one of those stories he tells so well.) His parents, James Arthur and Mary Annie, strived to do their best in raising their family of 5; working from farm to farm, specializing in dairy farming and cattle. Times were hard. Papa would say they had three meals a day; no meal, oatmeal, and skip a meal. He may have been exaggerating a little. Living in Portsmouth, Virginia, Jim’s dad saw the ships and fire power coming on shore during World War II and by next morning, they were on their way inland. Jim didn’t know where they were headed but the next chapter was quite memorable. They headed for the North Carolina mountains. Biltmore Estates in Ashville became their home until Jim was about 15-16 years old. Jim became well versed in the daily duties surrounding dairy farming. Families would care for the cattle and Jim’s dad and uncle shared the responsibility of being in charge of one of the dairies. Though they were mere youngsters, the responsibility of caring for 67 dairy cows greatly fell on the shoulders of Jim and his brother, Fred. He learned the ropes, had a strict milking schedule (beginning at 1 o’clock in the morning) with school, homework, and evening chores, and became one of the best artificial inseminator breeders at the ripe age of 15. Five days after he turned 18, the next chapter of his life would be very different from the previous. He raised his right hand, swore to protect and serve, and boarded a ship headed for Korea. Not expecting war to be next as part of his history, he thought ‘What in the heck have I gotten myself into?’ But to war he went, making $3 a day. He served in the Chosin Reservoir Battle during the Korean War which occurred during three months of the coldest days he’s ever experienced in his life. And left him with memories that were painful to repeat. Once home from the military, Jim did a little local work, then decided he’d travel a bit around the United States. Having enough of that after about 3 months, he hitched hiked in one ride; from Reno, Nevada to Baltimore, Maryland. Once home again, he was introduced to Bettie Applewhite who after 9 months of courting and wooing, became his wife on February 7, 1957 for the next 59 plus years. Jim and Bettie began building their family with two boys, Ronnie and Ty while living in Portsmouth, Virginia. After moving to Florida in 1963, they had one more son named Ray who was born in 1964. Jim worked as the Foreman at Greenville Farms for 17 years doing dairy work. The dairy business moved to North Florida and Jim moved with it, until he retired with the North Florida Housing Authority in Jasper, FL. After retirement, Jim dedicated his full time and efforts to some of his favorite past times: wood working as he enjoyed building anything Bettie wanted, reading and studying the Bible, reading non-fiction books; especially those focused around military/war history and politics, continued to attend church, and was the master of word searches. He loved the Lord and he loved bluegrass. He also taught every grandchild, great grandchild, and great great grandchild that when he took the lid off the sugar jar, they were allowed to lick their finger, stick it in the sugar, swirl it around real good, then lick it clean. It was their secret… and everyone had that secret. Papa was certainly a joker, especially with the grands. He was always playing little tricks on them, telling jokes, stumping them with riddles and poems. He leaves an incredible legacy that every family member cherishes and a hollow void that everyone painfully bears. Papa Capps was one of a kind while being strong, faithful, loving, entertaining, and our rock.
Jim is survived by his three sons Ronnie Capps (Sharon) of Live Oak, FL, Ty Capps (Stephanie) of Madison, FL, and Ray Capps (Kanoye) of Lake City, FL; Ten Grandchildren: Puena Stacey of Lake City, FL, Candice Webb (Marc) of Lee, FL, Ty Capps (Melissa) of Jasper, FL, Tylyn Stansel of Live Oak, FL, Tina Wilson (David) of Waynesville, NC, Lindsay McLeod of Madison, FL, Dillon Pickles (Dominique) of Richmond Hill, GA, Casi Kapadia (Sonny) of Jacksonville, FL, Conan Capps (Raven) of Live Oak, FL, Zachary Capps of Lake City, FL; Eighteen Great Grandchildren: Cylent Parsons (Dakota), Cheyenne Stacey, Addison Webb, Hayleigh Capps, TyTy Capps, Annie Capps, Logan Stansel, Kenley Stansel, Jordan Wilson, Zeke Wilson, Amber McLeod, Austin McLeod, Abby McLeod, Brantley Thompson, Axl Capps, Ryatt Capps, Romee Kapadia, Eve Kapadia; Three Great-Great Grandchildren: Emerie Stacey, Canyon Parsons, and Ni’Klaus Parsons (due this month).
A graveside service will be held Saturday, September 19th at 9:00 am at Evergreen Cemetery in Jasper, FL.
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