Audrey F. Capper

Audrey Francis Capper was born on September 19, 1926, in Lanesville, Indiana. She died on October 5, 2025. She was a founding member of Holy Family Church. She led a wonderful, full life and is survived by her nieces and nephews, Jean Moss (Dale), Tom Crone (Julie), Mark Crone (Gina), Anne Spaulding (Sean), Joan Antoine, Bill Crone and James Capper. She was also survived by her great nieces and nephews, Michael Crone (Leah), Sam Moss (Shannon), David Crone (Jayme), Philip Crone (Anna), Sarah Klarer (Ian), Allison Moss (Matt Parker), Kristen Spaulding, Kevin Crone, Alan Wells, Jael Capper, and her great-great nieces and nephews, Avery and Noah Crone, Harper and Piper Moss, Lenora and Oscar Capper Klarer, Ben Crone, Maylin Audrey Crone and Lily Wells and close friend, Ginny Gohmann. She was known as “Aud” to her close family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Gertrude and A.G. Capper; her sisters, Mary Jean Capper and Doris Capper Crone; her brother-in law, Doris’ husband, Marion Crone, and brother, James Capper.

She moved to New Albany soon after she was born. In 1945, when she was 16, she moved on to bigger and better things and went to work at Colgate Palmolive Company and stayed there until 1960. She had wanted to go to college early in her life, but the family couldn’t afford it. She had a dream to be a kindergarten teacher, so she left her job at Colgate in 1960 and went to Indiana University Southeast and then Spalding College. It took a while, but she graduated magna cum laude in 1980. In the meantime, she started teaching kindergarten at Holy Family School in New Albany. This was the first Catholic kindergarten in the area.

In 1964, she moved her kindergarten to the home she shared with her mother and sister. Her kindergarten was in the basement of the home. She had picnics and rhythm band concerts at the end of each year. Her nieces, Jean and Anne, always helped with the kids. Anyone who went to her kindergarten left knowing how to color. Her coloring instruction “Outline, color lightly, go one way and finish” was a phrase all her students tell their kids today! In 1976, her kindergarten moved back to Holy Family, and she went on to teach until 1993 when she retired. While at Holy Family, she volunteered as the gym teacher and also started a golf team at the school.

She was an athlete from a young age. She played on a softball team in high school and went on to play basketball on the Catholic Community Center Comets in 1944. When the gym the team practiced in was renovated in 2022, Audrey (one of only two surviving players) was interviewed by WDRB TV and a door in the gym was named after her. She was also a great golfer and won the Valley View Women’s Championship many times. She continued to play golf into her early 90s.

Audrey also loved to travel. She took many trips with her dear friend, Mary Jean Adams Graf. They traveled together for several years to places like, Daytona Beach and Miami, Florida, Denver, CO, New Orleans, LA, Chicago, IL, New York and New Jersey (to see the other Colgate clock), Montreal, Toronto, and Quebec, Canada and Cuba. After Mary Jean Adams got married, she began traveling with her nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews. She loved spending time with them and taking them on trips to St. Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati for baseball games and golf tournaments.

When she wasn’t traveling outside Indiana, she would take her great (and great, great) nieces and nephews to Goodwill, Big Lots and Dollar Tree. There was always Kentucky Fried Chicken or McDonalds after.

One of Aud’s life lessons she learned from her mother and practiced throughout her life was to always accept each person as the person they are. Another lesson from her father was to always help others.

Her family was blessed to have her in their lives. Her nieces and nephews spent every Saturday lunching at her house. Before that, there were Wednesday dinners and Sunday after-church lunches. She will be deeply missed by everyone who loved her. Last bit of Aud’s advice – Eat the popcorn and pumpkin pie, and don’t be scared of left turns!

Visitation will be from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at Kraft Funeral Service, 708 East Spring Street, New Albany, Indiana 47150.

Funeral Mass will be at 10:00 am on Friday, October 10, 2025, at Holy Family Catholic Church, 129 West Daisy Lane, New Albany, Indiana with burial to follow in Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery.