Born on September 28, 1965, in Pontotoc, Mississippi, Michael attended Pontotoc High School and later graduated, cum laude, in chemical engineering from the University of Mississippi, in 1987. It was at Ole Miss that he met Sylvia Jarrett of Bruce, Mississippi, whom he would later marry and with whom he would spend the next 31 years. They have two daughters, Mary Chosen and Katie, both currently attending Ole Miss.
The early part of Michael’s career was spent working as a chemical engineer at Dupont in Augusta, Georgia and then at Newsprint South Inc., in Grenada, Mississippi. But it was six years after graduating with his engineering degree that Michael decided to go back to school to pursue a degree in law—and in 1994, received a juris doctorate from his beloved Ole Miss. Michael would spend the remainder of his career practicing in the area of environmental law—in both litigation and regulatory practices. His first job as a new lawyer would lead him to the law firm of Crosthwait, Terney and Noble in Jackson, Mississippi, where he forged the beginning of many enduring friendships.
Most recently, as a partner with Butler Snow in Jackson, Mississippi, Michael served on multiple boards including the Mississippi chapter of Solid Waste Management Association of North America and the Ole Miss School of Engineering. He received multiple distinctions including Best Lawyers in America/Government Relations Practice, and Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business/Environment (Mississippi), among others.
It was Michael’s varied interests that created such a colorful narrative. He was a die-hard Ole Miss Rebel, loved tailgating in the Grove, and held season tickets for multiple sports there. He was an avid golfer, and a seasoned global traveler. He and his wife, at one point, owned The Cavalier Shoppe in Flowood, Mississippi. But his true passion was for his girls—his daughters were the absolute center of his universe and, as they will tell you, he was the most perfect “girl dad” there was. Anything they loved, he loved.
Michael is survived by his wife, Sylvia Jarrett Caples and their daughters Mary Chosen and Katie; his parents Diann and Bobby Caples of Pontotoc, Mississippi; his sister Teresa Douglas (Don) of Oxford, Mississippi and their children Benjamin, Zac (Parker), and Jon Michael; his in-laws Janice and Rex Jarrett of Bruce, Mississippi; and his sister-in-law Rhonda Jarrett and her children Paul Brown (Cricket) and Janna Brown.
The Caples family are lifelong members of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison, Mississippi, which is where Michael’s life will be celebrated with a visitation Tuesday, November 12, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the chapel. His funeral service will take place Wednesday at Broadmoor at 11:00 a.m. preceded by a brief visitation at 10:00 a.m. Michael will be interred at Parkway Memorial Cemetery in Ridgeland,
Mississippi.
