Paul Nicholas Kapnicky, 92, of Morgantown passed away in Englewood, Fla., on Monday, March 18, 2019, from complications of a fall.
He was born Jan. 30, 1927, in Uniontown, Pa. He was preceded in death by parents, Nicholas Kapnicky and Catherine Varnick Kapnicky; first wife, Iris Kelly Kapnicky; and brothers, Dr. James Kent and George Kapnicky.
He is survived by wife, Carol Zollinger Kapnicky, whom he married in 2001; daughter, Marsha Wyatt; stepchildren, Lisa Bachner (Steve), Brenda Yohn (Alex) and Matthew Zollinger; and six grandchildren who brought so much joy to his life, Nicholas A. Yohn, Erika Katherine Yohn, William D. Bachner, Noah R. Yohn, Hunter M. Zollinger and Garrett A. Zollinger.
He is also survived by a niece; six nephews; godchildren, Terri Hartley and Louis Duda; and by Chris Evanto, wife, Julie, and children, Jesse and Lexi, whom he considered his son and family.
Paul was a graduate of St Francis deSales High School. He was a student at West Virginia University and a member of Sigma Nu fraternity, when he was called to serve his country. He was very proud to serve in the U.S. Army in Germany during World War II. After returning from the war, Paul continued his education at WVU and worked alongside his father at Kapnicky’s General Store in Jere, where he was also postmaster.
Paul was always very proud of his Scott’s Run heritage. After his father’s death in 1956, he continued to run the store and expanded the business into home remodeling until 1997. During that time his contracting business was responsible for building and remodeling hundreds of homes and commercial buildings in Monongalia and surrounding counties.
Paul purchased Mountaineer Golf Course in 1969 and worked tirelessly to expand and beautify the course. In the early 1990’s he designed and expanded the course from nine holes to the current 18. He was looking forward to this, his 50th year of ownership of the course. He was always proud of the business and especially proud of all the young people he hired over the years who went on to create their own success stories. He still loved the Wednesday and Friday scrambles and the clubhouse socialization afterward.
Paul was known for his unfailing work ethic. He never stopped planning and starting new ventures. In 1998, he began making plans to construct homes around the golf course. He and his daughter acquired adjacent land and he worked tirelessly with surveyors, engineers and builders to design and develop Mountaineer Gardens. His wife, Carol, joined in this venture in 2001 and together they developed Mountaineer Woodlands. Both properties are unique developments in the Morgantown area.
Paul was a member of St. Francis deSales Catholic Church. He was always community minded and a 70-year supporter of the Mountaineers. He could always be heard loudly singing the National Anthem and cheering on the Mountaineers on football Saturdays.
He was a member of Morgantown Elks 411 and was selected West Virginia Elk of the Year in 1989. He had served as Monongalia County Republican Chairman and a member of the Monongalia County Commission. In 1999, he was selected as WV State Golf Course Superintendent of the year, honoring his decades of work and dedication to promoting golf throughout the state. He served as president of the Scott’s Run Sewer Board and was instrumental in bringing water and sewage to areas west of Morgantown.
Following the death of his first wife, Iris, he founded the Iris Kapnicky Memorial Golf Tournament and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over 10 years for the Oncology Unit at Mon Health Medical Center and established a scholarship fund for nurses there. He has been an active member of the Monongalia General Hospital Foundation Board since 2001, and was also serving as president of the Lawnwood Cemetery Association.
Paul loved music and traveling. He was a long-time member of the Beau Monde Dance Club. He and his wife, Carol, traveled extensively and he was always ready for the next new adventure. Although always true Mountaineers, they had spent the last 17 winters in Florida, where they were blessed with many new friends.
The family is grateful to Tidewell Hospice House in Englewood for the compassionate and loving care to Paul and Carol during his last days.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete and have been entrusted to Hastings Funeral Home. Final arrangements will appear in a later edition of The Dominion Post. Interment will be at Lawnwood Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to The Kapnicky Scholarship Fund for Nursing Education at Mon Health Medical Center, 1200 J.D. Anderson Drive, Morgantown,WV 26505.
Condolences:
hastingsfuneralhome.com
