William H. “Bill” Kappus

Dec 05, 1939 - Jul 03, 2015

William H. “Bill” Kappus, also known as “Henry” in his youth, passed away peacefully in a Reno hospital on July 3, 2015 with several friends at his bedside. Bill, 75, was born in 1939, in Oklahoma to Laurence and Mildred Kappus. He attended El Reno High School and graduated with a civil engineering degree from Oklahoma State University. He served in the Air National Guard for 5 years as a cargo plane load master. He was married to Barbara Kappus from 1970 to 2000 and fathered one son. He had a very successful 35 year career for the Federal Highway Administration. Assignments included Vancouver, WA; Salem, OR; Portland, OR; Olympia, WA; and finished his career in Carson City, NV as the Assistant Division Administrator. After retiring from FHWA, he worked part-time for several years as a Project Officer assessing infrastructure damage on FEMA-declared natural disasters which he thoroughly enjoyed. Bill was an avid bike rider and ATV rider. As a classic car fan, he attended the annual Hot August Nights events in Reno. He has been a jogger, hiker, camper and loved to garden. He was a prolific and entertaining storyteller who would never leave a room quiet for long. After moving to Carson City, he met Reta Hanks, and for the past 12 years he shared his life with Reta. They enjoyed vacations to Mexico and travel to various locations within the U.S. as well as month long trips in their motorhome. Survivors include only son Brian Kappus and granddaughter Aven; brother Archie Kappus; sisters Kathleen Leck and Florence Adcock; and close companion Reta Hanks. Services will be held at his former home on August 8th.