John M. Kapp, 93, foundation leader

John M. Kapp of Wayne, a retired Army major and president of the Eden Charitable Foundation, died May 21 of a pancreatic tumor. He died at a hospice in Cleveland on the day his great-granddaughter was born and the day after his 93d birthday.

He had been in Ohio since April to be close to his daughter, Beverly Susanne Huckelbridge.

Mr. Kapp grew up in Rochester, N.Y., and summered on Lake Ontario. As a youth he earned money picking cherries, working in canning factories, caddying at golf clubs, and modeling men's suits and tuxedoes. He was also a disc jockey and vocalist on a radio station in Rochester. He put himself through two years of college at Niagara University before he joined the 121st Cavalry of the National Guard in 1939.

During World War II, he served in the Army with the 209th Artillery Brigade. After he received his officer's commission, he was stationed in Alabama and then was assigned to Gen. Douglas MacArthur's staff in the Philippines. He eventually became MacArthur's assistant chief of staff in occupied Japan. While there he met a civilian staff member, Priscilla "Pat" Burns. They married in May 1946 in Tokyo.

The couple raised a family on Army bases in the United States and overseas. While in the service he earned a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and shared memories of MacArthur with classmates. He later earned a master's degree in political science from Villanova University. In 1952 he and his wife moved to Wayne, where Mr. Kapp ended his military career as an ROTC instructor at Valley Forge Military Academy and College.

An Eagle Scout, Mr. Kapp established Boy Scout troops in Japan and Italy and at several bases in the United States while in the Army. After retiring in 1961, he became district executive for the Boy Scouts of America. He was later director of the USO in Philadelphia; regional representative for the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce; and a management consultant for American Acceptance Corp. Since the early 1990s, he had served on the board and was administrator of the Eden Charitable Foundation in Wayne.

Mr. Kapp was a Mason and a Rotarian. He received several awards, including the Silver Beaver Award for his long service to the Boy Scouts.

In addition to his great-granddaughter and daughter, Mr. Kapp is survived by four grandchildren and two other great-granddaughters. His wife died in 1998.

Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Mellon Hall, Valley Forge Military Academy and College, 1001 Eagle Rd., Wayne. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. June 28 at Valley Forge Academy Chapel. Burial will be in Arlington (Va.) National Cemetery at a later date.

Memorial donations may be made to the John Kapp Memorial Scholarship Fund, Ursuline College, 2550 Lander Rd., Pepper Pike, Ohio 44124.