Howard B. Chapman

Howard B. Chapman, devoted husband, father of three, grandfather of eight, died peacefully in Houston on Wednesday, the 23rd of December 2020. He was 77 years of age and lived his life to the fullest until Alzheimer’s took him from his loving family.

Howard was born in Wichita, Kansas, on the 9th of August 1943, to Lucille and Raymond Chapman. While his parents were only able to obtain a third-grade education, they understood the value of working hard and instilled in their children a work ethic that led them to achieve their dreamed goals.

Howard was drawn to two things in life: work and family. Even at the early age of nine, he displayed a knack for finding work, distributing papers on a lucrative paper route.

After high school graduation, he found employment at the Purina Factory in Wichita. While working on the loading docks, he secured his college tuition for Wichita State. During his college years, he worked as a bookkeeper for a local businessman leading to his desire to pursue a business venture in the TV rental business. At 21, he carefully researched where to start his business and ultimately selected Houston, Texas because it was one of the fastest growing cities in the country that could expand in all four directions and had a seaport.

Howard married Karen Ward in 1964, his high school sweetheart whom he met at Junior Achievement. He decided to leave college just short of graduation and the two moved to Houston in 1965 to begin his business endeavors with his fraternity brother, Rob Cole. They operated and expanded Alamo TV Rental in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. Never afraid of new business ideas, Howard purchased property and built a restaurant upon it. Although the restaurant did not survive, the venture launched him into the real estate industry. He enjoyed a long and successful career in real estate as co-owner and President of Chapman and Cole. During his 46-year partnership with Rob, they invested in and started over 18 companies. Howard never planned to retire. Had Alzheimer’s Disease not interrupted him, he would still be behind his desk today.

Outside of his business, most of his time was devoted to his wife and children, who carried him through the early years of his disease and faithfully kept him in their lives until his death. Howard was an active father supporting his children in all their activities, coaching their sports teams and attending every game or performance in which they participated. The most treasured family activity planned by Howard every summer was the driving family vacations during which he drove the family in a van all over the United States. He was determined that his family would experience all that this great country had to offer and they did!

Howard was a man of few hobbies although he did enjoy a good bird hunt and snow skiing vacations with his family and friends. Howard particularly enjoyed traveling with his wife around the world. They visited every continent but Antarctica. Traveling was Howard’s greatest passion outside of family and work. He especially loved visiting and learning about people from different cultures. He appreciated their art, antiques, and yes, even their junk. He was the greatest shopper of the family!

Howard’s love for his eight grandchildren surpassed his love for travel. His grandchildren wrote in their school essays specifically of his perseverance, great story telling, and his careful watchful eyes on them when they were in his care. Nothing gave him more joy than seeing his family mature into the young men and women that they are today.

Believing that education was the way out of poverty, most of Howard’s charitable gifts were directed towards educating young people in need with an emphasis on faith-based schools. His philosophy was “far better to teach a young person to fish than to just hand him a fish.”

For the last several years, Howard was cared for by a team of excellent caregivers. The family wishes to thank each of them: Jessica Ames, Carla Gill, Jennifer Henderson, Claudia Tobias and Alma Torres. You ladies cared for dad with compassion, dignity and respect. There are not enough words to express our gratitude – thank you! Thank you also to Shawn Riverman for managing the care and navigating the challenges of the flood, the pandemic and most of all for being a great companion to dad in his early years of the disease.

Howard is survived by his one and only love, Karen Chapman, his wife of 56 years; his children, Gretchen Lynch and her husband Tom, Stacy Medrano and her husband Michael, Howard C. Chapman and his wife Stacie; grandchildren, Abigail Lynch, Henry Lynch, Emmett Lynch and his wife Kelly, Cole Medrano and his wife Laura Lee, Benjamin Medrano, Alexandra Medrano, Howard D. Chapman and Reese Chapman; his sisters, Renee Chapman and Lovetta Russell and her husband Mike. Howard is predeceased by his parents Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Chapman

Friends are cordially invited to gather with the family for a memorial reception from five o’clock until seven o’clock on Friday, the 8th of January, in the Jasek Chapel and grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston. A prayer service will commence in the Jasek Chapel at six o’clock followed by eulogies from his children. Virtual attendance for the prayer service may be accessed by selecting the “Join Livestream” icon on the visitation service section below. The livestream link will be available on the day of service.

A Requiem Mass is to be offered at nine o’clock in the morning on Saturday, the 9th of January, at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham, 7809 Shadyvilla Lane in Houston, where the Rev. Charles Hough is to celebrate with Fr. Ted Baezinger, CSB as concelebrant.

Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception at a venue on site to be announced during the service.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions in Mr. Chapman’s name be directed to the Financial Aid Departments of the following Institutions: St Agnes Academy, 9000 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, TX 77036; Strake Jesuit, 8900 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, TX 77036; University of St. Thomas, 3800 Montrose Blvd., Houston, TX 77006; and/or to Inner City Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Galveston Houston, 1700 San Jacinto St., Houston, TX 77002.