John Clapper III

John Clapper III was born on March 5, 1945 to John Clapper, Jr. and Esther Wetterstrom in Rockford, IL. The son of an Army colonel, John moved frequently growing up. He attended 4 high schools in 4 years, graduating from Andover High School in Andover, MA. John graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1967 with a BS in Economics. John was a member of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, where he formed lifelong friendships with many of his brothers.

He attended Syracuse University Law School but was drafted after completing his first year. He joined the Army in 1969 and served honorably, including a tour of duty of Vietnam, where he was awarded a Bronze Star. John would retire as a 1st Lt. Following his active duty service, he returned to Syracuse to complete his J.D., graduating in 1973. Also in 1973, John married Leslie Stackhouse Clapper, with whom he had 2 children, Jeffrey C. Clapper and Scott R. Clapper. They divorced in 1998 but later were amicable and remained so until his passing. Although he later remarried, John divorced again in 2023.

John practiced civil litigation and worked for Brennan, Centner, Palermo and Blauvelt in Rochester, NY, and later joined Harter, Secrest and Emery in Rochester, NY. In 1984, John moved to Naples, FL, when Harter, Secrest & Emery opened an office there. In 1990, he helped start the Naples branch of Roetzel & Andress and was an equity partner. John served as the school board attorney for Collier County for many years while with Roetzel.

John enjoyed many hobbies at different periods throughout his life, including as a competitive sailor, an avid tennis player, runner, gardener, amateur photographer, loved family genealogy and was a loyal fan of the Buffalo Bills. He was a member of the Naples North Rotary Club since 1984 and was especially proud of helping to start the Club’s foundation, which primarily benefits local youth causes. John would serve as President of the Club, was awarded Rotarian of the Year for 2009-2010 and was a Paul Harris Fellow +7.

John dealt with many health issues later in life, several of which were a result of his exposure to agent orange in Vietnam. This included Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia for which he endured several years of chemotherapy and eventually required a stem cell transplant. Despite the many challenges he faced, John never complained.

He was a proud Army Veteran and was the president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for Collier County, Inc. Along with his friend and fellow veteran Cliff Schneider, John helped to raise over $20,000 to have a memorial honoring Vietnam Veterans designed, made and placed in Cambier Park in downtown Naples, which was installed in 2015. Late in life, John enjoyed attending weekly breakfasts with fellow veterans at Fleischmann Park every Saturday morning.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John Clapper, Jr. and Esther Wetterstrom.

John is survived by his sons, Jeffrey C. Clapper of Naples, FL and Scott R. Clapper of Orlando, FL, his sister, Karen Faye of Bainbridge Island, WA, his niece, Elizabeth Faye of Bainbridge Island, WA, his nephew, Andrew Faye of Los Angeles, CA and his nephew, Christopher Faye of San Francisco, CA.

A celebration of life is planned for October 27, 2026 from 4pm – 6pm at Hodges Funeral Home at Naples Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that donations be made to the Naples North Rotary Club Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 1307, Naples, FL 34106.