John Franklin Clapper

Retired Colonel John Franklin Clapper, MD left this earth on October 3rd, 2025 after a fierce battle with Lewy Body Dementia. A devoted follower of Christ, John’s life here was one full of quiet strength, faithful service, and generous love. 

John was born on April 12th, 1947 in Whitefish, Montana to loving parents, John and Jacqueline Clapper. The first of four children, he grew up with his sisters Kathleen, Sally, and Dorothy in Spokane, Washington. Being close in age, they found fun together and some of John’s favorite memories were from the summers they spent working on their uncle’s farm in Montana. 

John first learned about a life of service from his father who served in the Army during World War II completing his training in Colorado in preparation to be sent to Finland. Thankfully, the war ended so John’s dad never made it to Europe, but he piqued his son’s interest with stories of Army life. As John got older, he loved reading Red Reeder’s books about Clint Lane, never realizing he would become a cadet himself. 

During his junior year at West Valley High School, John was fortunate to be chosen to attend American Legion Boys State where he had the opportunity to talk with a West Point Military Academy cadet. He quickly realized that if he continued to excel in school, serving his country would make it possible to obtain a college education. During his senior year, John applied to Representative Tom Foley and earned a nomination as an alternate to attend West Point. God’s providence was shown when the principal nominee had a last minute medical issue giving John the appointment instead. 

Never having traveled by airplane, John took a train across the country from Spokane to New York starting his journey of service. While at West Point, John immersed himself in campus life participating in many clubs: Triathlon, Mountaineering, Portuguese, Astronomy, First Captain’s Forum and Fine Arts Forum. He particularly enjoyed being part of the Baptist Student Union and served as a Sunday School teacher to 5th and 6th graders at West Point Cadet Chapel. Chaplains Easterling and Wilson were encouraging mentors to John so much that his entry in the yearbook said he wanted to be an Airborne Chaplain. John’s fervent faith and compassion for others had a long lasting impact on his fellow cadets with one roommate going on to become a minister and another teaching religious studies.

After being commissioned into Field Artillery, John had a strong desire to apply to medical school thanks to the exceptional counsel of his high school chemistry teacher. He was originally accepted at Baylor University, but could not go because of Army commitments so when he was advised the following year to either go to medical school or Vietnam, he chose to attend the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. God’s providence was at work again as he met and married the love of his life, Cindy Gwinn. They had their first child, Jonathan, and once John graduated from Medical School in 1975, they moved to Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii for his pediatric residency. While there, they were blessed with the birth of their daughter, Jennifer. John enjoyed time with his family, the ocean, running (he competed twice in the Honolulu Marathon), and was active in the Christian Fellowship of International Baptist Church.

Next, it was on to Fort Knox, Kentucky where John served as Chief of Pediatrics. Because of the Army’s doctor shortage, John had to air evac sick patients to the larger medical center in Louisville, ultimately achieving his dream of acting as an airborne chaplain and ministering to patients in a critical time. John and Cindy’s third child, Caroline, was born in Kentucky and shortly after, his family was moved to Fort Lewis, Washington where Melissa and Jeffrey were born. 

John’s next assignment took him overseas to be stationed in Augsburg, Germany from 1987-1990 where he served as the Chief of Pediatrics in the 34th Army Hospital. While in Germany, John and family enjoyed traveling around Europe. During each of his assignments with the army, John and Cindy met new people that would become lifelong friends. After returning back to Fort Lewis, he served as a staff pediatrician at Madigan where John and Cindy welcomed their sixth and last child, Sarah. 

In 1991, John retired from the Army as a Colonel and went on to join Pediatrics Northwest, a private practice in Tacoma. John believed their practice should treat anyone regardless of their ability to pay and his appointments would usually run long because he spent so much time with his patients. Parents would say he was worth the wait and he became known for his exceptional diagnostic intuition. 

His Christian faith remained an important part of his life and in the midst of his busy work schedule, John found time to take biblical counseling classes at Western Reformed Seminary. John and Cindy found a church home in Evangelical Reformed Church where they began attending in 2000, with John serving as a deacon during his later time there. 

After years of traveling across the United States and Europe during John’s military service, John and Cindy cherished the steady rhythm of life in Lakewood and the deep, lasting friendships they formed there. Their home on Gravelly Lake was a place of welcome and joy—whether for family gatherings, celebrations with friends, or church picnics. They created memories on annual trips to Lake Chelan with the kids and enjoyed special vacations together in Hawaii. 

In 2018, after 27 years of private practice and 43 years as an MD, John retired from Pediatrics Northwest. After retirement, John enjoyed spending more time with Cindy, driving his two special needs kids to work, babysitting his grandkids, and working in the yard. His children and grandchildren brought him so much joy as did the wonderful friends that God placed in his family’s path over the many years.

In July of 2022, John experienced a sharp decline in his health and was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). Subtle symptoms had shown before then and while it was helpful to have an official diagnosis, it was devastating for John, Cindy and their family to know the outcome that lay ahead. Medication brought some stability and quality of life back, but the next few years were filled with more miserable moments than good. John still found comfort in the Lord. His greatest joy was knowing that his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ saved him to worship God forever. A quote both John and Cindy love and referenced often was by John MacArthur, “What brings us great encouragement and comfort is that the Lord is at work in each life conforming us to Christ, weaning us from the world, showing us what we love, strengthening our faith, and equipping us so that we can comfort others when the time comes for them to suffer.”

Unfortunately John’s suffering was great after he fell and broke his hip in late July 2025. Even in the midst of his struggles with Lewy Body, he was determined to come home and impressed each caregiver with his strength and resilience. Despite his incredible efforts, the fall, surgery and rehabilitation significantly advanced his LBD and ultimately led to him being on hospice care in late September. He had an outpouring of visits from family and friends during this time. At home and surrounded with the love of his family, he left to meet his Savior on October 3rd. 

John is survived by his beloved wife Cindy, married for 51.5 years, his son Jonathan married to Robyn, daughter Jennifer married to Brian, daughter Caroline, daughter Melissa married to Christopher, son Jeffrey, and daughter Sarah married to Jordan, as well as 8 grandchildren: Estella, Blaise, Max, Jack, Ingrid, Audrey, Natalie, and Arthur. He is also survived by his sisters, Kathleen, Sally, and Dorothy. 

A military honors burial will occur at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, WA on Friday, October 31st at 10am. A celebration of John will be held at Evangelical Reformed Church in Tacoma, WA on Saturday, November 1st at 1pm. Livestream of his service can be found at: https://boxcast.tv/view/memorial-service-for-dr-john-clapper-zsc9b6zgzl2915srkriu