James Christopher Cappers

Joys of the Outdoors
In her junior year at Quinnipiac College, Kathleen Vieira spotted a new man on campus. He was tall. He was handsome. He was wearing a pink rugby shirt.

"Who is that guy?" she asked her friends. Nobody knew.

Turns out he was a transfer student named James Christopher Cappers, a.k.a. Chris, a.k.a. Clark Kent (whom he resembled).

"Fresh from getting out of the phone booth," said Steven M. Vaughn, a friend since sixth grade.

Ms. Vieira and Mr. Cappers married in 1995, on April 22, a date they selected by combining their birthdays, Sept. 4 (April is the fourth month) and Aug. 22.

It was also Earth Day, a good fit, considering that some of the Cappers' favorite times together were spent hiking, camping and introducing Alex, who will turn 3 on Dec. 30, to the thrills of sleeping in a tent. Mr. Cappers, 33, was a personal client executive at Marsh & McLennan.

Mrs. Cappers recently gave Alex and Andrew, seven months old, special teddy bears sewn from their Daddy's old shirts. "I'm trying to find that pink rugby for myself," she said. "I think about him all the time."

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 2, 2001.


Chris Cappers, 33, strong and steadfast

At Quinnipiac University, the brothers of Alpha Chi Rho liked to call Chris Cappers "Clark Kent." Tall and handsome, when he wore his eyeglasses he was the epitome of clean-cut.

"The nickname was appropriate," said Cappers' older brother, Mark, "especially when he wore his eyeglasses. He was tall and thin, the strong, silent type, and the most incredibly steadfast and moral person you could ever meet."

James Christopher Cappers, 33, grew up in New Jersey -- in Fair Haven and Long Valley. At the time of his death on Sept. 11, he was living with his wife, Kathleen Viera Cappers, and their two children, Alexander, 2, and Andrew, 6 months, in Wading River, N.Y.

An assistant vice president at Marsh & McLennan Cos., Mr. Cappers, a private client broker, worked on the 94th floor of the North Tower at the World Trade Center.

Born in Atlanta, Mr. Cappers graduated from Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania and from Quinnipiac in Hamden, Conn., with a degree in finance. He began working for Marsh & McLennon in their Morristown office 10 years ago.

A rugby and lacrosse player in college, Mr. Cappers was an avid camper who often backpacked with his wife in the Adirondacks and on Martha's Vineyard.

"Most of all, he just liked getting out in the yard and kicking the soccer ball around with his son," said Mr. Cappers' father, Murray.

In addition to his wife and two children, Mr. Cappers is survived by his parents, Murray A. and Peggy Cappers, and his brother, Mark, all of Long Valley.

A memorial Mass is scheduled for 2 p.m. tomorrow at St. Anselm's Episcopal Church in Shoreham, N.Y. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the J. Christopher Cappers Memorial Fund, North Shore Public Library, 250 Route 25A, Shoreham, N.Y. 11786, or to St. Anselm's Episcopal Church, 55 North Country Road, Shoreham, N.Y. 11786.