Scottdale man who assisted at Flight 93 site set to lead Pa. funeral directors group
A Scottdale funeral home operator is set to take leadership of a state professional organization.
Frank Kapr, president and owner of the Frank Kapr Funeral Home was named president-elect of the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association at the group’s convention this week in Pocono Manor. The title lays the groundwork for Kapr in 2020-21 to succeed David V. Peake Jr., supervisor of a Montgomery County funeral home.
A lifelong Scottdale resident, Kapr is an Army National Guard veteran who served during the Vietnam War.
He is a graduate of the Pittsburgh Institute Of Mortuary Science and holds an associate’s degree from Point Park University.
Kapr has been a member of the Glenn Gelder Foundation for Mass Fatality Preparedness since June 2003. He assisted in the recovery and identification process following the Sept. 8, 1994, crash of USAir Flight 427, in Hopewell Township, near the Pittsburgh International Airport, and the 9/11 plane crash near Shanksville, Somerset County.
Kapr has been a member of the Scottdale Volunteer Fire Department and has served on the boards of Mutual Aid Ambulance Service, the Scottdale Community Civic and Industrial Association and the Scottdale Area Chamber of Commerce.
His restored 1967 Pontiac Bonneville ambulance has appeared in first responder funeral processions and at state firefighter conventions. It recently was featured in the regionally filmed Netflix series “Mindhunter.”
Kapr lives above the funeral home with his wife, Rhenee Gadd Kapr.
Organized in 1881, the nonprofit Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association provides its members with advocacy, continuing education, information, legal expertise, products, programs and services.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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