Dr. Dwayne Capper, 57, of rural Solon passed away at his home on May 7, 2023, surrounded by his loving family after a short courageous battle with metastatic melanoma to the liver and bones. A viewing and time to greet the family will be held Sunday, May 14, 2023, at the Celebration Farm, 4696 Robin Woods Ln NE, Iowa City, from 1 – 5 p.m. The Beatty Peterseim Funeral Home is assisting the family.
He was born on Oct. 11, 1965, to John Thomas and Victoria (Hess) Capper. He spent his childhood growing up in West Branch. He graduated from West Branch High School in 1984.
In 1988 Dwayne graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Iowa Wesleyan College. He entered the University of Iowa College of Medicine and received his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1992. From 1992 to 1993 he completed a Preliminary Surgical Residency from the Medical College of Wisconsin and started his Otolaryngology Residency, which he completed in 1997 at the same college. From 1997-1998 Dr. Capper completed a Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Fellowship at Park Central Institute in St. Louis, Missouri. In August of 1998, Dr. Capper joined ENT Medical Services and became certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology.
Dwayne married his wife, Angela, on June 24, 2004, in Negril, Jamaica. To this marriage he brought three amazing daughters: Emily, Erin and Allison. Together they added Zachary and Conner. In 2021 they added International Student Exchange son Edgar Strozzi-Cuevas .
Dwayne was an outstanding doctor who was dedicated to truly helping his patients. He showed compassion and often took his time to explain, as well as support patients throughout their cancer journey. His patients, employees and colleagues described him as bubbly, kind, caring, funny, amazing and respected. He was often heard asking his young patients if they had kitties or doggies in their ears to put them at ease. He loved his older patients who he could talk to about pheasant hunting ground and this often made him fall behind in the clinic. He also liked to give out family wine to some of his favorites. He loved his job and could often be heard saying, “I’ve never worked a day in my life.”
Dwayne’s greatest joy and pride in life was his family and he treasured every moment. He could be sitting around the table talking, swimming in the backyard, on a family trip or just watching a sporting event his children were in. He was a role model for his children.
A very religious man who believed in not only talking about it but living this way. It was his goal to teach his children to respect all people and their professions, everyone was equal in his eyes. His favorite saying was, “You cannot pick your child’s memory.”
In his final days he found this out with the many stories we talked about. Each would bring such joy to his eyes. His quick wit and humor were not lost. Although the past 4 weeks were agonizing for him and our family he never wavered once in guiding us to the very end. His concern and love in life were for us and how we were. There was never a question about if we were loved, he showed it and said it daily. His wife Angela will dearly miss their walks, talks, trips and future plans. He showed his love to her daily in his caring nature. We are eternally grateful to experience his love in this life.
Outside of work he could be found hunting. Pheasant hunting was his favorite hobby to do with his sons, brother, nephew and friends. He would make a yearly November trip to South Dakota with this group. They came back with so many stories that mostly didn’t even do with the actual hunting.
His other greatest joy was when he took his dogs Molly, Benny and late dog Maxwell hunting. These dogs were an extension of him, and they will miss their daddy dearly. Every morning he would wake early before work to take them on a run.
Dwayne also enjoyed working on his farm on food plots for deer hunting. Although deer hunting was not his favorite, he could be seen in the stands with his sons, nephew and father. Of course, he would need to have a cowboy book in hand to pass the time as sitting patiently was not a virtue of his.
His other love of nature was trout fishing which was passed on to him from his father and grandparents Chuck and Bessie Capper. In the past years he had passed this onto his wife and children. They enjoyed many trips up to northeastern Iowa fishing for trout.
His legacy will continue throughout his family: his wife: Angela and sons: Zachary, Conner and Edgar all at home; daughters: Emily (Jeremy) Faust of North Liberty, Erin and friend Josh of Iowa City, Allison and friend Brandon of Solon; parents: Tom and Vicki Capper of Parnell; siblings: Nita (Mark) Hoffman of Parnell, Vonda (Kevin) Sullivan of Mason City, and Victor (Jodi) Capper of Basehor, Kansas; mother-in-law: Donna Abels of Kanawha, Iowa. He was an amazing uncle to nieces: Justine, Sarah, Meghan, McKenzie, Kylee and Teigan; and nephews: Ryan and Mason.
He is preceded in death by grandparents: Charles and Bessie Capper, Victor and Darlene (Fry) Hess; and father-in-law: Michael Abels and loving hunting companion Maxwell Hunter and favorite cat Tommie Michael.
All who knew him were impressed with his warmth and humor, even in his last days. He kept us all honest, humble, and taught us the value of hard work, joy, family, and letting your light shine brightly and unapologetically. He is undoubtedly watching over us with a big smile on his face for a life well-lived and well-loved.
We thank the physicians that took great care of him and showed the same compassion he showed his patients. A special thanks to Dave Nacos, Washington County Hospital and Clinics, and Physicians Dr. Mohammed Milhem, Dr. Andy Bryant and Dr. Justin Chau of University Iowa Hospital and Clinics.
In lieu of flowers the family will make donations to organizations important to them. West Branch Community School Foundation, West Branch Schools Booster Club, Solon Dollars for Scholars and Iowa City Hospice.
