Larry R. Chapman

morning, December 9, 2016. His passing was unexpected. Larry

had lived at Carriage Court Assisted Living in Hilliard, Ohio, for more

than 6 years and was well liked by both residents and staff.

He will be remembered by the many people whose lives he touched

with his warm smile, sincerity, and willingness to help when asked.

Larry loved a good pun, saw and enjoyed the humor in everyday life,

and sometimes expressed his own wit when people weren’t

expecting it.

Larry was born on June 27, 1955, in Columbus Ohio, the younger of

two children of Charles and Virginia Chapman. Both Larry and his

older sister, Anita, showed early signs of developmental problems

and each developed Cerebral Palsy a lifelong motor disorder. Larry’s

condition was less complicated and severe than Anita’s.

Larry was considered by his family to be very smart; his disabilities

caused some problems in his daily life, mostly with fine motor tasks

such as handwriting and dressing and in gross motor activities such

as running and throwing.

He attended Columbus public schools through junior high. knowing

that high school would impose more challenges to Larry’s

abilities and hurdles to his social-emotional development, his parents

enrolled him at Olney Friends School, a Quaker boarding school in

Barnesville, OH, for his high school years. Olney provided a close

community of students, teachers , and staff in which Larry could be

himself, get extra time and individual attention when he needed it,

and where Friends’ values of equality, peace, simplicity, and

stewardship nurtured him.

In 1980, Larry began working in the IT Department at Ohio State,

where he worked for 25 years, retiring in 2005.

In the late 80’s, Larry got involved with On My Own, an organization

set up to address the needs of young adults with mild

developmental disabilities. In a way similar to Olney, but within the

larger community of Grandview, On My Own offered Larry a

community, this time of other young adults with disabilities; support

staff; and a program geared to help participants develop skills for

independent living, a full work, social, and community life. On My

Own also provided opportunities for group travel to various places in

the United States and abroad.

Larry had attended North Columbus Friends Meeting, near the OSU

campus, for many years. When he moved to Grandview, he began

regularly going to St. Luke’s Methodist Church on 5th Ave. He

became a part of St. Luke’s Friendship Circle, a ministry of St. Luke’s

for the spiritual and social needs of disabled adults.

In 2005, Larry officially retired from the OSU IT Department, after

25 years of service. He continued to live an active life in retirement,

spending time with friends, enjoying concerts, movies, and the

cultural life of Columbus. He took several cruises and On My Own

trips around the country.

In late 2007- early 2008, friends and staff noticed a decline in

Larry’s behavior after a significant illness. He became withdrawn,

lethargic, and had problems remembering recent events. Larry

began to lose his initiative to do things and to independently follow

a daily routine. He spent much of his day in apparent sleep but was

usually instantly alert when he was addressed, denying he had been

asleep.

Daytime staff were provided for Larry by the Goodwill Columbus

Supported Living program (which took over the On My Own program

in 2008) to assist him in more and more of his daily routines. He

began attending a day program through ADD, the Association for

Developmental Disabilities.

In August 2010, Larry moved into his own room at Carriage Court,

an assisted living facility in Hilliard, Ohio. Here he had access to 24

hour nursing supervision and as needed assistance with his daily

activities. He continued to attend the Adventures day program at

ADD two days a week until early 2016. Regular Goodwill staff

continued to take Larry to St. Luke’s every Sunday and to social

activities every month.

For Larry’s first 3 1/2 years at Carriage Court, he and Anita

continued to get together regularly at her group home for holidays,

and for restaurant meals and movies and concerts. Anita’s health

worsened significantly in her last year and she moved to Whetstone

Gardens for skilled nursing care. She died there in May, 2016.

In recent months although his health seemed stable, Larry became

increasingly withdrawn, sleeping in his chair and relying on staff to

encourage him in all his activities. He slipped away quietly in his

sleep on Friday morning, January 9, 2016.

Larry was preceded in death by his mother, Virginia Townsend

Chapman, in 1985, and his father, Charles Chapman, in 1989. In the

summer of 2015, Larry’s father’s sister, his beloved Aunt Lucille

Vanica, of Bayshore, Ohio, died. This past May, 2016, Anita

Chapman died.

Larry is survived by Lucille’s 2 sons, Peter and Michael, and their

extended families, in Colorado and North Carolina.

A Memorial Service will be held at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 1150 W, 5th Ave., in Grandview Heights, at 12:00pm, Saturday, January 14, 2017.

Arrangements entrusted to Schoedinger Worthington Chapel (www.schoedinger.com).