Everyone’s Friend, Frank Caperton, Passes Away Unexpectedly

Yesterday I opened up my electronic mail and noticed a notice from my Rotary club that began, “It is with wonderful shock and disbelief that I have to have to move together this unfortunate information – Frank Caperton handed away this early morning.” I am not positive that there is a term to express how I felt. I have acknowledged Frank due to the fact his times possessing DataWorks, when he made use of to occur into the Day-to-day News Journal to location advertisements for the company. Then he joined Rotary and I bought to know him much better. As other people on Fb have observed, he was usually cheerful and giving and a wonderful pal. His loss is one thing that a lot of, lots of people today just can not quite wrap their head all over. I know I simply cannot.

In recent many years, he has by no means been devoid of a digicam in his hand, masking activities all more than Middle Tennessee. He understood absolutely everyone and absolutely everyone understood him. Staying all over him felt a little bit like staying about John Hood (who also appreciates anyone and lots about county background). I regularly ran into Frank at functions, I with my digicam and writer’s notebook, and we would jokingly take shots of every other. If I was someplace using shots and had neglected some important identify in excess of the pandemic, I could discover Frank and he would whisper it to me with a chortle.

That is how I remember him the most — with a smile on his confront and a prepared joke, usually self-deprecating. Or with some historic tidbit on his lips. Frank liked history and was a previous president of the Rutherford County Historic Culture. He also served on the board of Buddies of Stones River Battlefield.

Though many, quite a few folks have penned on the net what Frank meant to them, I am going to admittedly steal a statement from Facebook by my mate Jonathan Harmon, “Frank was so a lot to so several. He captured instant just after minute after moment [with his camera]. He instructed tale just after story immediately after story. He posted the dumbest, most great jokes. He cherished this group and the men and women in it. He served and served and served. He entirely immersed himself into his mates, his neighborhood and its history. I’ll by no means know another human like Frank.” I, far too, will hardly ever know any person else like Frank.

I feel for his family members. I got to teach his youngest daughter when I was the Executive Director of the Business Education Partnership Basis. She was in the Point out Farm Summer months Enterprise Camp when I coordinated it. She was shiny and funny, and the apple of his eye. He arrived the final day to view her give her ultimate presentation wherever she shined. He was so very pleased. As he was of all of his daughters, his wife, his family members and his pals. He liked to assistance persons increase and realize success.

Additional than a few many years back Frank was 1 of the initial individuals to open a laptop or computer-relevant business in Murfreesboro, and when he was even now in college or university at Center Tennessee Condition University. Afterwards, he grew to become FrankWorks, a man who bought the Renaissance Person competencies he experienced acquired more than time. He did internet site and social media structure and integration, computer system mend, photography, internet marketing and political method with XM Political, and historic exploration.

I know him the ideal from Rotary Club of Murfreesboro. Numerous years back, when Rotary utilized to do meals for the once-a-year going for walks horse competitiveness at Middle Tennessee Condition University, Frank and I used a amount of hours cooking very hot canines together and serving individuals other rapidly food items goodies. He arrived in the nick of time just one working day, as I someway finished up being the only person running the booth at 1 point, cooking and serving a escalating line of hungry buyers.

Very frankly (pun supposed), the Rotary Club of Murfreesboro will be bereft with no him. He coordinated all of their social media and was at each conference, every single 7 days filming so it could be viewed on Zoom by these associates nevertheless housebound by the pandemic.

When he took many shots for Rotary, his do the job reached far over and above weekly Rotary conferences. See his portfolio listed here.

As Beth Bragg Hacket mentioned on-line, “We misplaced a excellent 1. Could he be celebrated and remembered for his pricey sort soul.”

And Dawn Throneberry White explained, “He beloved this community and truly created it a greater area. He brightened every home he entered. I will truly overlook his smile and snicker.”

The household has started off a GoFundMe to protect the unanticipated funeral costs. Arrangements are now incomplete and will be introduced afterwards.