Curtis Leo Clapham

Curtis Leo Clapham, age 85, of Wilmington, DE, passed away on April 13, after a long struggle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was predeceased by his parents Sarah Mattie (Teer) and Carlos Leo Clapham, and his sisters: Olive Clara Edwards, and her daughter Gail Prewitt; Juanita Forester; Carlene Cotton and her husband Paul, whom he cherished as an elder brother.   Curtis was born January 21 in Lyon, MS, a town adjacent to Clarksdale, MS. Curtis remembered Clarksdale as a vibrant community of many ethnicities and religions. All struggled together to survive The Great Depression and World War II. This was the foundation of Curtis' understanding of the inequalities faced by women, by African-Americans, persons with disabilities, or by anyone "different”. Curtis graduated from Clarksdale High School and Millsaps College, and earned an MSW from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. He returned to Jackson, MS to work in child welfare, then took a job as administrator of Bethesda-Savannah Children’s Center in Savannah, GA. There he also worked with Civil Rights groups; he and a co-worker integrated the Drexel Hotel in Atlanta. Curtis married Carol Sue Etzenhouser in 1962. Daughter Elizabeth was born in 1963. 1964, the family moved to Philadelphia so that Curtis could pursue a PhD in Social Work. He then became Director of Family Service of Chester County, where he served for 30 years, developing and promoting many innovative programs. The family settled near West Chester, where daughter Jennifer was born in 1966. The family became members of Birmingham Friends Meeting.   Curtis was founding director of the board of Kendal-Crosslands Retirement Communities, serving in various capacities for over 30 years. He was a board member of Bryn Mawr College of Social Work and Social Service, a board member of Friends Association for the Care and Protection of Children, and a member of many other social service boards and committees. In “retirement”, he worked for the Philadelphia Foundation. In 2002 he and Carol moved to Wilmington to care for their new granddaughter, and became members of Wilmington Monthly Meeting. They also became docents of the Delaware Art Museum, and he became a trustee of Wilmington Friends School. He had a life-long love of travel, of learning new languages, and of exploring new ideas. He strove always to treat others with interest, dignity, and equality; he strongly believed in service to the community.   Curtis is survived by his wife Carol Etzenhouser Clapham; daughter Jennifer Lauren Clapham of Latham, NY, her twin sons Riley Isaac Appel and Carlos Raymond Appel, and their father Chris Appel; daughter Elizabeth Clapham,  her daughter Zoe Wishengrad, and Zoe’s father Paul Wishengrad; niece Paula (Cotton) Vaughn and husband Dan Vaughn of Madison, GA, and their children Andie Vaughn of Washington, DC, and Sarah Vaughn, of Oxford, England;  nephew Carlos Cotton and his wife Caroline of Wharton, TX, and their children Taylor Cotton, DDS and Ann (parents of Carter and Callie Jewel) of College Station, TX, and Travis Cotton , MD and Jacqueline Terry, MD (parents of Caroline and Charlotte) of Ann Arbor, MI; nephew Norris Cotton and partner Tracy Mancini of Durham, NC, and their collective children Alicia Cotton Butler and husband Ryan (parents of Finn, Gates, and Jackson) of Bahama, NC;  Blake Cotton of Des Moines, IA, Seth Cotton and wife Ann of Durham, NC, and Noah Constantine of Durham, NC; Catherine McMillan, mother of Blake, Seth and Alicia, of Bahama, NC; grandniece Penny Prewitt Jones and husband Jeff (parents of Justin and Joshua) of Athens, TX, grandnephew Ansel Prewitt, and grandniece Casey McJunkin, her husband Casey, and their daughters Chelsea, Carmen, and Candace of Bryant, AR. A memorial service will be held on May 16 at 11 am at Wilmington Monthly Meeting of Friends at 4th and West Streets in downtown Wilmington. All who knew and valued Curtis are invited. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to: Family Services of Chester County (www.familyservice.us) or The Delaware Art Museum (www.delart.org)   A memorial service will be held on May 16 at 11 am at Wilmington Monthly Meeting of Friends at 4th and West Streets in downtown Wilmington. All who knew and valued Curtis are invited. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to: Family Services of Chester County (www.familyservice.us) or The Delaware Art Museum (www.delart.org)