Harry Caplan

Harry David Caplan, 92, of Brigantine, NJ, passed away on July 14, 2025. A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, he is reunited with his wife Gloria, six months after her passing. They shared 64 wonderful years together.

Born in 1933 in Atlantic City, Dave was the middle of three sons of Henrietta and Jules Caplan. He was drafted into the military in 1955 and served in the Army for two years in Panama. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Dairy Husbandry from Delaware Valley College and a master’s in Secondary Education from Temple University.

Dave met Gloria on the Atlantic City boardwalk—she was embroidering hats, and he was working at a sandwich shop. They married and raised their number-one-son, Jonathan, in Willingboro, NJ. Dave spent his career as a science teacher in the Philadelphia public schools and the NJ State Department of Education, and worked weekends and summers in a variety of jobs including as a waiter and driving Greyhound buses. He enjoyed traveling and chaperoned multiple student trips to Australia and New Zealand, returning with facts that became quiz fodder for his grandchildren (such as Koalas are marsupials, not bears).

Dave remained deeply connected to his Atlantic City roots, fondly recalling childhood memories like the diving horse on the Steel Pier. A lifelong Philadelphia sports fan, he also loved reading nonfiction, doing crossword puzzles and a enjoying a good slice of chocolate cake.

Dave was most proud of his family. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Jonathan and Jody Caplan of Short Hills, NJ; grandchildren Aliza (and her fiancé Rafi Wasserman), Benjamin, and Sophie; and many dear friends and extended family.

Donations in his memory may be made to Mosaic Foundation, the nonprofit serving South Jersey’s Jewish community, in honor of the care Dave received over the last two years.