CHAPMAN
Mr. Jack Chapman a life long resident of Stettler, passed away on January 1, 2013 at the age of 92 years. Jack O'Rourke Chapman was born in Stettler, Alberta on August 11, 1920 to William and Lillian Chapman. He was raised on a farm southeast of Stettler with five brothers and three sisters. Jack's early years were spent working on the farm and playing baseball with the Chapman family baseball team. In March 1941 he enlisted in the army, along with many other young men from the Stettler area. He trained in England with the Calgary Tank Regiment. On August 19, 1942 he was taken prisoner during the Dieppe Raid and spent three years as a prisoner of war. When the war ended, Jack returned to Stettler. He worked for Brennen Funeral Home as a funeral director for two years. He was then sent to Saskatoon for further training in post-mortem work. In Saskatoon he was recruited to play baseball for the Legion team. On August 11, 1949 Jack married Eunice Falkenberg. Together they raised three children, Dan, Marnie and Jim. During this time Jack operated a dairy farm. He was one of the first in the area to use modern production line technology in his dairy barn.
On December 16, 1977 Jack was married to Madeleine Wiart. Jack and Madeleine owned a cattle ranch southeast of Stettler, where they also raised Tennessee Walking horses. During the 1980's and 1990's, Jack was one of the largest Tennessee Walking horse breeders in Canada. Jack and Madeleine had three children, Timothy, Lee and Kimberly. Throughout his lifetime, Jack was a tireless community volunteer. He served with the Stettler Agricultural Society, the County Ratepayers Association and the Recreation Commission. He was involved with the Royal Canadian Legion at the local, provincial and national levels, serving as the Dominion Vice-President from 1976-1980. For his years of service to the Legion, Jack was awarded the Palm Leaf, the highest award obtainable. In recent years Jack enjoyed working on the farm with Madeleine and took great pride in his herd of cattle. He was thankful to be able to continue working on the farm, and did so right up until his death on January 1, 2013. Jack is survived by his loving wife Madeleine, his children Dan (Linda) Chapman, Marnie (Clark) Hoskins, Jim Chapman (Winnie Litvak), Lee (Sarah) Chapman, and Kim (Kelsey) Hoetmer, sister-in-law Jean Chapman, eight grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents, William and Lillian Chapman, siblings, Frank Chapman, Clarence (Lyd) Chapman, Winnie (Ernie) Robbins, Bill (Beth) Chapman, Audrey (Lloyd) Strandquist, Pat (Muriel) Chapman, Myrt (Ken) Rae, and son, Timothy Chapman.
Jack was a hero to many. His greatest love was for his community, his neighbours and friends, and his beloved family. He was blessed with a strong work ethic, a compassionate heart, and a fighting spirit. He lived a long and rich life and will be deeply missed. A funeral service was held on Saturday, January 5, 2013 at 1:00 P.M. at the Stettler Community Hall with the Rev. Jack Schulze officiating. As an expression of sympathy and in loving memory of Jack, memorial contributions may be made to STARS, the Stettler Fire Department or to a charity of your choice in care of Brennen Funeral Home and Cremation Services P.O. Box 193 Stettler, Alberta TOC 2LO who have been entrusted with the care and arrangements. 403.742.3315. Condolences can be forwarded to the family by visiting our website at www.brennenfuneralhome.com.