James Keith Chapman, better known as “Chappy”, moved on from this life on July 31, 2022. James was born in Tishomingo, Okla. on September 21, 1957 to Winnie Mae McAlister and the late Donald Ray Chapman.
James attended Madill High School where he met the love of his life, Monica Rachelle Chapman, when he was a senior and she was a freshman. He graduated from high school in 1975. James also attended the School of Hard Knocks and received a Master’s Degree in Hand to Hand Combat.
James and Rachelle were married on January 20, 1978 in Lebanon, Okla. and started their journey together as a family. Over the years, James had many different occupations including pipeline welding, building houses, spraying insulation, selling manufactured homes, flipping houses, owning rent houses and carrying the mail for over 20 years, from which he retired.
There are many different words to describe the man that we all called Chappy. If he were to describe himself, he would say that he is a legend in his own mind. Confidence was definitely something that he was not lacking. When you try to describe Chappy using singular words or phrases, it gives you a depiction of the life that he lived. Friends and loved ones would describe him as outgoing, charismatic, loud, giving, crazy, argumentative, passionate, spontaneous, loyal, loving, handsome, brutally honest, animated, larger than life and fearless.
Growing up, his hero was Evel Knievel. If you have ever been beside him on a motorcycle then you have probably seen some of Evel’s inspiration put into practice. James wasn’t just fearless when riding a motorcycle, he was fearless in everything that he did. He wasn’t afraid to jump in and help out anyone in any situation, no matter what it was. Any time you were in dire straits and needed help, he was the guy that would come to the rescue and figure the way out of it. What he enjoyed the most in life was always being around family, friends and even strangers. Nobody was ever a stranger to him. That is mainly because he would just start talking to random people and force them into a conversation, while only allowing them to get a few words in at a time. He loved people, he loved life and he lived it to the fullest. many different friends and family members that it would take a novel to write them all down. What we all know is that James left his mark on everyone who was blessed to have known him. It’s hard to imagine Madill without his unique presence but unfortunately that time is staring us all in the face. The time has come for him to move on to the next life where he will be met by all of his loved ones that have all gone before him. There was only one Chappy, and there will never be another like him. Although he is no longer physically with us though, his love, his life and his legacy will live on with us forever. This is a sad time for all of us, but Chappy would not want us to be sad…he would want us to celebrate his life, celebrate our friendships, celebrate our family, and live our lives with enjoyment and excitement. Life is too short for sadness and unhappiness. Find those things in life that make you happy, that make your world go around and hold on to them dearly, because life is only a vapor and then it is gone.
James was preceded in death by his father Donald Ray Chapman
James is survived by his wife of 44 years, Monica Rachelle Chapman of Madill; his son Weston Chapman and wife Candy of Madill; his daughter Jessica Douglas and husband Jonah of Madill; five grandchildren, Raiden Chapman, Jude Chapman, Ryder Douglas, Zane Douglas and Hazel Douglas; mother Winnie Mae McAlister of Madill; brother Billy Gene Chapman of Madill; half-brother Bryan McAlister of Madill; half-sister Michelle McAlister of Madill; step-mother Peggy Chapman of Sherman, Texas; step-brother David Wilson and wife Gwen of Madill and step-sister Scarlett Evans and husband Cliff of Sherman, Texas; and numerous uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be Thursday, August 4, 2022 at Watts Funeral Home in Madill, Okla. from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Funeral service will be 2:00 p.m., Friday, August 5, 2022, at First Baptist Church in Madill, Oklah. Doug Tyner will officiate the service.Interment will be at the Woodberry-Forest Cemetery in Madill, Okla. Services will be under the direction of Watts Funeral Home in Madill, Okla. Condolences may be sent to wattsfuneralhome.com.
Casket Bearers will be Brandon Polster, Lloyd Adams, Eric Powell, Jay Bailey, Curtis Parsley, Tim Brown, Robert Brooks, Corey Jones, Ron Gentis, and Kenny Dinse. Honorary bearers are too many to mention.