James "Jim" Edward Clapp

Jim Clapp 68, died May 10, 2023 after a difficult illness. Jim was born in Quantico, VA and passed away in Atlanta, GA the last stop in a life well-lived and well-travelled.

Jim was a remarkable athlete in his day. He could pick up any sport and do it well. After years of working in the trades and rehabbing historic homes & buildings in Richmond and Alexandria, Va, Jim began a new career in retail. First at Barnes and Noble – fitting, as he loved literature and enjoyed the written word - and finally at Lowes where he went back to his roots, helping regular homeowners fix household problems.

The decision to change careers was driven by a lung cancer diagnosis in 1997, when he was 42. He underwent chemotherapy before & after the surgery to remove one lung. It was an eight-month ordeal, but he fully believed it was necessary to regain his health - and indeed he did. As he gained strength he turned to gardening and advocating for himself and other lung cancer patients who were stigmatized by lung cancer’s connection to smoking.

He also turned to running to get rid of the weight he had gained. What started with a block in his neighborhood and then two eventually leading to several 5Ks in support of lung cancer research and awareness. In 1999, 2 years after his lung was removed Jim completed the first of 3 Marine Core Marathons. It was not a fast finish, but Jim implemented the Run-Walk-Run method pioneered by former Olympian and running coach Jeff Galloway. He was even written up in The Washington Post “If a guy with one asthmatic lung can do this, it might really show other people with lung cancer that they don’t die immediately,” he told The Post. “Just maybe if I can pull this off, it can give hope to someone who is in the depths of hopelessness that is cancer therapy.”

Jim, with a little bit of help from his wife rehabbed several homes, including their last home in Dallas, Tx, their first home in Arlington, Va and a condo in Hoboken, N.J. He enjoyed football and became a fan of the home team no matter where he lived, be it Boston, Minneapolis or Hoboken - with the possible exception of the Cowboys as he remained true to his Commanders (aka Redskins) despite their level of play over the last 20 years.

Jim is survived by his wife Anne Hicks; siblings Jeff and Janice Clapp, niece Gracie Clapp, sister-in-law Sarah Hicks, her husband Andy Harmon, brother-in-law Simon Hicks and his wife Karen & daughter Heather. Jim was preceded in death by his brother Jerry and sisters Beth Clapp & Barb Fitzgerald.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in his name to the American Lung Association by clicking the link below:

https://action.lung.org/site/Donation2?df_id=31271&mfc_pref=T&31271.donation=form1&mfc_pref=T&_ga=2.14761791.803114634.1683825175-1153802168.1683825175&_gac=1.255332730.1683825270.Cj0KCQjwpPKiBhDvARIsACn-gzCNIjiql_aJ03TeoDvXdto7knUaYJRxoxuFOfh_hitDujOwVfN-pf0aApkzEALw_wcB&_gl=1*1oiy8ki*_ga*MTE1MzgwMjE2OC4xNjgzODI1MTc1*_ga_P13PC1PGW8*MTY4MzgyNTE3NC4xLjEuMTY4MzgyNTI4Mi40Ny4wLjA.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.nationalcremation.com/location/atlanta for the family.