

December 12, 1935 to Mack and Maggie Chapman in Greenville, South
Carolina. He relocated to Chicago, Illinois where he met and married his
childhood sweetheart, Victoria Williams, and was blessed with 3 beautiful
children: Carl, Victoria and Robert. Papa graduated from Wells Senior High
School in 1954 and had his first child that same year.
Papa joined the United States Air Force shortly after high school and served
for over 10 years. After his tour of duty, he relocated with his wife and
three children to Compton, California in 1964. He lived, worked and raised
his children in different areas across the Los Angeles County until his
retirement from Northrop Grumman where he worked for 24 years in the
Aerospace industry.
First and foremost, what was important to our father, was providing for the
well being of his family, a trait he learned all too well from his own father.
Papa was a man of simple means and pleasures, whose great wisdom was
always imparted freely to all. He had a way of making everyone around him
feel special. Our father loved his family (especially his children). He loved
to take them to the "OFFICE" to show them off to his friends. He
demanded the best from his children and loved them all deeply. One of
Papa’s many quotes was "Ain’t nothing hard about this." He took the time
to instill in his children the importance of thinking through a problem and
finishing a task once started.
Papa retired to Phoenix, Arizona where he purchased a home and spent a
lively and enjoyable life. He was part of an active organization of former
Northrup employees called "The Classy Few Retirement Club" who
remained friends for many years and stayed connected through social
events. What made this time in his life the most fulfilling was having an
active role in the upbringing of his grandchildren, Miguel and Victoria.
Jimmy, as most of his family and friends knew him, departed this life with all
of his immediate family members by his bedside on July 28, 2019 in
Phoenix, Arizona. He is preceded in death by his parents Mack & Maggie Chapman, as
well as his sister Virginia aka (Pixie). He leaves to cherish his memory his three
children, Carl, Victoria and Robert; his loving, lifetime friend and ex-wife,
Victoria Turner; his only living uncle (Emar); his surviving siblings, Betty,
Maxine, Mack and Trudy; his grandchildren, Miguel, Tori, Jovan and
Marquise as well as a number of great grandchildren and a host of
nieces, nephews, cousins and close family friends.
We would like to acknowledge the official pallbearers present at Papas burial at Riverside National Cemetery ( Miguel Chapman, Ryan Branch, Tobias Van Buren, Steve Woods, Patrick Evans and Michael Quartermain. Thank you all for your service, you did Papa proudly.
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