Virginia Darline Ridge Chapman

Virginia Darline Ridge Chapman

Funeral services for Virginia Darline Ridge Chapman, of DeRidder, Louisiana will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, October 23, 2015, at Alexandria Memorial Garden Chapel in Alexandria, LA with Rev. Lamar Oliver officiating. Burial will follow in the Alexandria Memorial Garden Cemetery, under the direction of Labby Memorial Funeral Home of DeRidder.

Visitation will be Thursday, October 22nd, at 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home in DeRidder.

Someone will fill Virginia Darline Ridge Chapman's space, but no one will take her place.

"Virginia and Bill raised their family in Alexandria, Louisiana, where Virginia also worked at Wellan's Department Store as a Department Manager. They spent their retirement years living (country style) in Waverly, Louisiana and her final years in DeRidder, Louisiana."

Virginia Darline Ridge Chapman passed away in her home in DeRidder, Louisiana on Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at the age of 90 years. Virginia was born on May 7, 1925 in Moro, Arkansas to Emily Frances New Ridge and Willis Burt Ridge. Mrs. Chapman was a lifelong Methodist.

Virginia was preceded in death by her dear husband of 51 years William Franklin Chapman, Sr., her parents, her sisters Vinnie Ligon, Inez Graham, Jan Ridge, and her brothers Willis Ridge and Raymond Ridge.

Those left to remember Virginia as our dear Mom, Momma, Mother, Memaw, and Daddy's Honey are Daughter Linda Chapman Schekman and husband Jan Schekman and grandson Jan; Son Stephen Chapman and wife Martha Guidry Chapman and granddaughter Wendy Chapman Bellino and husband Christopher Bellino and great-grandsons Christopher Bellino and Jacob Bellino; granddaughter Stephanie Chapman Barton and husband Kevin Barton and great-granddaughter Ellie Barton and great-grandson Kyle Barton; grandson Jed Chapman and wife Kelley Dick Chapman and great-granddaughters Haylan Chapman and Millie Chapman and great-grandson Kellan Chapman; granddaughter Claire Brazil and husband Joey Brazil and great-granddaughters Ava Brazil and Beau Brazil; and grandson Alex Chapman and wife Julia Chapman;Son William Franklin Chapman, Jr. and wife Mary Davis Chapman and grandson William Franklin Chapman, III and wife Kayte Clair Chapman and great-granddaughter Ryn Chapman and great-grandson William (Willie) Franklin Chapman IV; granddaughter Emily Chapman Hazelwood and husband Brent Hazelwood; granddaughter Amanda Chapman Singley and husband Weston Singley and great-grandson Waylon Singley.

Virginia is also survived by her younger sisters Doris Ridge Pugsley and husband Wallace and Eugenia Ridge Corkran and her brother Eugene Ridge and wife Wanda Ridge and many nieces and nephews and their families.

In a blogpost that Virginia published three years ago at the age of 87, our Mom, Momma, Mother, Memaw, and Daddy's Honey said it best about getting older:

"I Don't Like Being Old.

I've discovered that you go through life thinking every day is a good day, Then you see a few grey hairs show up in your beautiful blonde hair. Then a few tired lines show up around your eyes and the corner of your mouth. That's not so bad as when you notice you've gained a little too much weight, now its time to do something about that. You start a little diet to get rid of the bulge, but that doesn't last long. You've got to eat something because you feel empty inside. So much for the diet, it went out the window.

Next thing you know your eyes are giving you trouble. You can't see as well as you used to. Thank goodness your new reading glasses work really well. You can thread a needle again. Then you find out from the doctor that your blood pressure is way too high. Thank goodness again for the medication that makes it get back to normal. Everything is going to be OK now. I'm over the hump.

Sounds like it's gonna be easy going from now on. So I thought. It was nice doing all the things I loved to do. I went places and did things I'd always wanted to do. What fun, that is until I had trouble with my back and had to have surgery. Now it's down hill all the way.

Now let's get serious. This past year is trying to do me in. I was diagnosed as having Dermatomyositis, an idiopathic, cell-medicated, inflammatory disease of the skin and muscles. It's a miserable disease that has no cure, and the treatment can cause all kinds of bad things to a person. I spent all morning today getting my eyes checked for cataracts. I was having trouble reading fine print. Guess what? My next thing to do is have these cataracts removed. I'm not giving up yet. I've got a long way to go yet."

Family request in lieu of flowers donations be made the Methodist Church of your choice.

Words of comfort may be expressed to the family at www.labbymemorial.com.