John B. Chapman, Sr.

John Berry Chapman, 88, of Atlanta, died on Tuesday, the 8th of March 2016. He is survived by his wife, Theodora“Dodie” Owens Chapman whom he married on the 14th of March 1952; his daughter, Janet Manning Chapman; son, Edward Owens Chapman and daughter-in-law, Marlyn Rollins Chapman; son, John Berry Chapman, Jr. and daughter-in-law, Katherine Lide Chapman; and seven grandchildren, Edward Nathaniel Chapman of Washington D.C., John “Jack” Robert Chapman, Katherine “Katie” O’Neil Chapman of Jackson Wyoming, Sara Frances “Frankie” Chapman, Leslie Rollins Chapman, William Rollins Chapman, and Matthew “Matt” Frederick David of Atlanta. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Frank Camden Owens, Jr., sister-in-law, Marguerite Kent Owens, and several nieces and nephews.

His brother, Edward Manning Chapman, sisters, Edythe Chapman Williams, Charlotte Chapman Haskell, Dorothy “Dot” Chapman Strickland, and

Julia Chapman Retterer preceded him in death as well as brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Lawrence W. and Anne Owens Shippey.

John will be fondly remembered as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, to his seven grandchildren, who affectionately called him “BIG JOHN”.

He was born in Atlanta on the 19th of November 1927. He was the son of Edward Medars Chapman and Julia Irene Manning Chapman. John was a Boy Scout and obtained the rank of Eagle. He graduated from North Fulton High School and attended the Georgia Institute of Technology. While at Tech, he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and was a member of the Georgia Tech swimming team from 1946- 1950. That swimming team, whose coach was Freddie Lanoue, won four Southeastern Conference Championships from 1947 - 1950.

In 1950, he graduated from GA Tech where he received a B.S. degree in Industrial Management. He was later inducted into the Georgia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame for swimming. While at Tech, he was in the Naval R.O.T.C. and after graduation served three years in the Navy during the Korean War. In August of 1953 he returned to Atlanta to join his father and brother in the real estate business at Chapman Realty Company.

John was a member of the Atlanta Real Estate Board the Million Dollar Club and was elected Realtor of the Year in 1972. He was Treasurer and Vice President of the Atlanta Board of Realtors and served as their President in 1977. John was Chairman of the Taxation & Legislation Committee of the Atlanta Real Estate Board from 1967-1976. He was a member of the Georgia Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors. John received the C.P.M. (Certified Property Management) Designation of the Institute of Real Estate Management of the National Association of Realtors. He was also a member of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and was President of the Georgia Chapter in 1976. John was an appraiser for 53 years, and attained his M. A. I. designation in 1967. He retired as Chairman of the Board of Chapman Realty Company in 2008.

He was an avid golfer, a voracious reader and enjoyed traveling and fishing with family and friends. He was a member of the Cathedral of Christ the King and served on the Georgia Tech National Alumni Association as a trustee for several years. John was a member of Peachtree Golf Club and an honorary member of the Piedmont Driving Club, Capital City Club, and The Nine O’clock.

A funeral mass will be celebrated on Friday, the 18th of March at ten o’clock in the morning at the Cathedral of Christ the King, 2699 Peachtree Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30305. The Rite of Committal will be private at Arlington Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Georgia Tech Athletic Association, Alexander-Tharpe Association, Inc., 150 Bobby Dodd Way, NW,

Atlanta, GA 30332-0455, Swimming Scholarship or Good Samaritan Health Center,

1015 Donald Lee Hollwell Pkwy, Atlanta, GA 30318-6653.

The family would like to thank Margaret Salters, Agnes Osei-Wiafe, Natasha Thomas, and Blessing Lyabor for the exceptional care they’ve given.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family Thursday, the 17th of March from six until eight o’clock in the evening at H. M. Patterson & Son Arlington Chapel, 173 Allen Road, NE, Sandy Springs, GA30328.