John I. Clapp

John Clapp, son of the late Irving and Ella (Judd) Clapp died unexpectedly on Nov. 28, 2022, at his home in Northampton. He is survived by his wife, Dee Boyle-Clapp, son Jarred Clapp, and sisters Lorraine (Kevin) O’Keefe and Joanne (Ted) Brooks, and many in-laws, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by sisters Miriam Clapp, Christine Guyette and Elizabeth Anderson.
John was a true Renaissance man, and his interests and careers were vast and many. He grew up on Hampton Divide farm haying and working in their sawmill, gaining a deep knowledge of animals and the woods. He explored meditation and spiritual quests, built hot rods, kayaked, rock climbed, researched local and family history, and tended to his llamas and animals, but was happiest hiking his family land.
His careers included furniture maker, massage therapist, gallerist, owner of John Clapp Building and Design, and Starlight Llama Bed & Breakfast. As a deep lover of nature and wanting to address climate change, John built Northampton’s first solar powered, off-the-grid house on land that has been in the family for nearly 200 years. John generously shared how to live simply through tours of his “solar system”.
John built a reproduction of Thoreau’s cabin which inspired his last career as a writer of novels, poetry and history. He published three books, including A Tale of Two Cabins, The Lost Village of Roberts Meadow, Three Short Stories - Four Poems - and a Few Essays, plus a family genealogy. He was searching for a publisher for his latest historical novel, Henry. John presented a lecture, Simplifying Thoreau, at the Thoreau Society Annual Gathering for Thoreau’s 200th anniversary in Concord, and he enjoyed reading from his books at local libraries and Historic Northampton.
John traveled with his wife Dee to Europe where he was passionate in his quest to find the best cannoli and espresso in Italy and try haggis in Scotland. In anticipation of a trip to Greece, he was learning conversational Greek. His greatest gifts were his innocent sense of humor and ability to find beauty in nature. He was most of all, deeply devoted to his family and dear friends.
Public calling hours will be held at the Ahearn Funeral Home, 783 Bridge Road, Northampton, on Friday December 9th from 3:30 – 5:30 pm, masks required.
A private celebration of John’s life will be held, but family and friends are invited to attend via Zoom on Sun. Dec. 11 from 1:00 – 2:30 pm. All friends and family are invited to gather for refreshments at the Westhampton Congregational UCC from 2:30 – 4:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent via https://www.gofundme.com/john-clapp-carpenter-author-friend or to the Westhampton Public Library, 1 North Rd, Westhampton, MA 01027.