Read David’s full obituary below.
David L. Kaplan, 84, passed away peacefully on June 20, 2026. He was born in Pittsburgh, PA, and raised near the Squirrel Hill neighborhood. He attended the University of Delaware, where he was President of his ATO Fraternity Chapter and a four-year ROTC member. He later received his MBA from Indiana Central University.
After graduating in 1964, Dave served as a U.S. Army infantry officer. He was stationed on the DMZ in Korea and then deployed to Vietnam in 1968, a day after the start of the Tet Offensive. Captain Dave Kaplan was decorated with the Army Commendation Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, and was awarded the Purple Heart after being wounded in Vietnam.
After his military service, Dave began a banking career in Cleveland, OH, and later moved to Indianapolis. When Dave picked up a neighbor’s call, it turned into a 25-year career at the Indiana Oxygen Company. He served as IOC’s Executive Vice President until his retirement in 2010. He continued to consult and mentor Jay and Anne Brant, who had joined their family business in 2010.
Dave’s keen financial acumen and his firm-but-engaging style of leadership proved to be one of the key factors to Indiana Oxygen’s growth during his tenure. Dave and his wife, Kathy, were fixtures at the GAWDA annual conventions, swirling their way on the dance floor to the amazement and envy of onlookers. Although he was not much of a drinker, he and Kathy would frequently be the last ones in the hotel bars at closing time deep in conversation with their GAWDA contemporaries. Dave will be dearly missed.
