Date of death: 11/28/2017
Saint Meinrad Class: O 1957
Donald James Kaple, 87, of Alpharetta, GA, died unexpectedly at his home on November 28, 2017.Don was born on January 27, 1930, in Lima, OH and attended St. John’s parish gradeschool. At age 14, he left home to begin his seminary preparation for priesthood andattended seminaries in Columbus and Cincinnati OH and St. MeinradÆs, IN. He wasordained for ministry on May 31, 1958, for the Glenmary Home Missioners of Cincinnati, and served in parishes in West Virginia, western North Carolina and north Texas for the next 10 years. In 1968, he left the active ministry and moved to GA, where he earned a doctorate in Adult Education from the University of Georgia. He met and married his wife, Marion Keeler, in 1969, in Atlanta.Don’s entire professional life was devoted to teaching, counseling and administration ofAdult Basic Education and literacy programs for disadvantaged and disenfranchisedadults in Maine, Kansas, Nebraska and Georgia. He retired from this ministry in 1995.Upon retirement, Don and Marion moved to Jonas Ridge in the Appalachian mountains of NC. There Don pursued his deep interests in prayer, study, writing and caring for God’s creation on his own 5 acres of beautiful mountain land. Don was a passionate life-long seeker, and he delighted in sharing his questions, insights and growing understanding of the Incarnational God with others in stimulating discussions and through his monthly blog, ôFrom the Belly of the Whaleö. He remained close to his Glenmary community all his life, was an associate member of the Sisters of St. Francis in Rochester, MN and was affiliated with New Creation Monastery in Mount Holly, NC. In recent years, Don and Marion were drawn to a more contemplative life, particularly through Centering Prayer and the dailymeditations of Richard Rohr, OFM.Don will be forever missed by Marion, his wife of 48 years, his daughter Katie KapleHummel, her husband Frank, and two daughters, Anna and Claire, of Woodstock, GA,and his son Daniel Keeler Kaple, his wife Franya, and son Colton, of Pittsburgh PA. He is also survived by his sister Mary Ann Deitering, brothers Bob and Paul Kaple and many nieces and nephews, all of the Lima OH area.