Seppo Ensio Rapo

He is survived by Judith, his wife of 60 years, his two sons, Andrew (wife Alexis) and Daniel (wife Lisa), and his daughter Kristin (husband David Lin), and eight grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his younger brother Paul Rapo and his younger sister Linda Wainionpää, both of Cape Cod.

Dr. Rapo lived a remarkable life, which is now being celebrated by his family.

Seppo was born on January 27, 1939, in Viipuri, Finland, to Tauno and Kerttu Rapo. They had fled the invading Soviet army during the Winter War that had begun in 1939. They eventually settled in Quincy, Massachusetts, welcomed by an established Finnish community.

Seppo earned his B.S. degree at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and earned his M.D. at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, with the class of 1964. He continued his surgical training with a year of thoracic surgery in Helsinki, Finland.

Returning to the Cape from Finland, Seppo joined Cape Cod Surgical Associates and was a surgeon at Cape Cod Hospital for more than 30 years, which included time as a chief of surgery.

Seppo loved music and enjoyed playing first chair clarinet at Wheaton College. He also enjoyed serving on the board of Cape Cod Symphony for over 30 years.

He loved sailing on the Cape, and, with friends, started a company to import H-boats from Finland, which they raced in several Nantucket races.

Seppo fulfilled his military service requirement with two years in the U.S. Public Health Service as a Captain in the Navy and as a surgeon at the Navajo Indian Reservation Hospital in Tuba City, Arizona.

While in Arizona, he studied flying, earning both his private and commercial licenses. With friends, he kept a Cessna in Hyannis, using it to fly to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard to care for patients there.

In spare time, he kept a friendly chess competition going, with friends and especially with his brother Paul.

A man of faith, Seppo dedicated his life to the service of God. He travelled several times to Honduras to work at the missionary hospital in Ahuas, Honduras.

He was a proud supporter of Wheaton College in Illinois, and Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, serving on the Gordon board for more than 30 years.

He was most happy about his role in the founding of Christ Chapel in Centerville, where he served as an elder and led the First Light Men’s Bible Study very early on Monday mornings for over 40 years.

Seppo will be remembered for being a kind and wise physician, a generous and loving husband, father, and grandfather, a gracious leader, and a faithful friend.

A celebration of his life will be held at Christ Chapel in Centerville on May 16 at 2:00pm. All are welcome.