Kenneth Kappes

Kenneth C. Kappes 87, of Carmel, passed away September 14, 2014. He was born March 21, 1927 to Phil and Fern Kappes in Royal Oak, Michigan. Growing up in Indianapolis, he joined the Boy Scouts of America and became an Eagle Scout. During his time in scouting, he and his brother Skip formed I&M, a company that sold fire-by-friction sets to scout troops throughout the country. He graduated from Shortridge High School, and soon thereafter enlisted in the United States Navy, serving as a hospital corpsman during WW II. After the war, he attended Butler University where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, graduating in 1949. In 1950, he married Bernadine Eschner of Gillett, Wisconsin. In 1954, he and his lifetime friend Bordy Crews formed Boy Scout Troop 456, where he served as Scoutmaster for 23 years. He spent most of his career in the flexible packaging business, working in sales and product development. He was awarded several U.S. patents for his unique ideas in the industry. His concept for a food packaging material for space travel was adopted by NASA and is still in use today. In retirement, he and Bernadine moved to Sun Lakes, AZ where they lived for 26 years. His hobbies included woodworking, golf and photography. He served on the Board of Directors of the Oakwood Golf Association and the Palo Verde Road Management. He is survived by his wife Bernadine of Carmel; their four children, Dr. Steven Kappes of Milwaukee, Jeffrey Kappes of Noblesville, Anne Kappes Weber of Reno, and Timothy Kappes of Zionsville; his brother Philip "Skip" Kappes; his grandchildren, Alison Kappes Metz, Dr. Ashley Kappes Cayo, Cole Fullmer, Steven Kappes, Jeff Weber and William Kappes; and his great-grandchildren, Charlie Cayo and Scarlett Metz. He is preceded in death by his brother Pete Kappes. You are invited to go to the Guest Book page to pass along your personal message or tell a story. Sincerely, -Your friends at Flanner and Buchanan