George "Joe" Kaply

George “Joe” Kaply, 89, of Prospect Heights, Illinois, was born on February 20, 1932 and passed away on December 13, 2021. Joe was born in Chicago, Illinois to the late William and Lucy (née Atamian) Kaply who were survivors of the Armenian Genocide. Joe graduated from Emil G. Hirsch High School in 1949 . During the Korean War, Joe served in Germany as a stenographer and bassist for the 7th Army Symphony Orchestra from 1952 to 1954. Joe was the bassist in the Larry Novak Trio, a long-standing house band at the well-known Mister Kelly’s jazz nightclub in Chicago from 1963 to 1975. He also performed at other notable clubs including the Palmer House and the Playboy Club, in addition to his work on TV commercials and the Playboy After Dark TV series. In his later years, he was employed at Scott Foresman Publishing as a systems analyst. He will be remembered for his gentle smile, his sense of humor, his patient demeanor, and his love of music, science fiction books and movies, and anything to do with computers. He enjoyed traveling, especially his yearly winter trips to Florida with his wife, Gail.

Joe is survived by his beloved wife, Gail Kaply; his loving children, Karen (Perry) Glait, Laurel (Larry) Lawler, and Chris (Karin) Kaply; his step-children, Kevin Sewart and Stefani Shanley; his grandchildren, Courtney and Rachel Glait; Nick and Melissa Lawler; Danielle Kaply; Abigail, Matthew, and Ben Shanley; and many nieces and nephews. Joe was preceded in death by his first wife, Suzanne Kaply, and his sisters, Rose Zamora and Renee Barry. He will be missed and remembered by all who loved him.

A memorial service will be announced by the family at a later date.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.OehlerFuneralHome.com for the Kaply family.