Michael Wayne Chapman

1950 - 2020

Mike Chapman (Michael Wayne Chapman) died at his home in Carefree, Ariz., on July 4, 2020. He succumbed to complications from colon cancer that had been diagnosed in March of this year. He was 70 years old.
Mike was born in Prague, Okla., on Jan. 4, 1950, to Wayne and Cordelia "Corkey" Chapman. His family moved from one small town to another, including Wewoka and Seminole, Okla., until settling in Lake Charles, La., when he was 8 years old.
Athletics were a major part of his life. The only thing he loved more than Mickey Mantle and the New York Yankees, was golf. He remains part of the lore of little league baseball in Lake Charles, having been part of several state championship teams from Mid-City little league to Babe Ruth.
He was a member of the 1967 LaGrange High School basketball team that won the Louisiana State Basketball Championship, with a record of 35-0. He received a basketball scholarship at McNeese State University where he played from 1968-1972. During this time, he was married, and was father to his first son, Shane. He earned his B.A. degree at McNeese in Business Management. He maintained close life-long relationships with those baseball and basketball teammates, and told the same embellished stories of those victories and losses until the end.
After his basketball career ended, he got the "golf bug" in earnest, and his passion for the game was palpable. He practiced, watched, talked and played golf, unabatedly trying to master the game. He placed and won numerous local and regional golf tournaments in Louisiana and Texas. This passion for golf was life-long. He is probably still trying to qualify for the U.S. Open.
After college, Mike worked for Gulf States Utilities, in Beaumont, Texas, then Mobil Oil in New Orleans, as a recruiter. From there he moved to New York City where he worked at Mobil Headquarters, where he met his wife Kay Kimme. He travelled the world recruiting for Mobil. Eventually, his life and career path moved him to Brooklyn, where he refurbished an old brownstone and entered the real estate industry in the Park Slope neighborhood. He later worked as a financial advisor. While in Brooklyn, Mike and Kay had 2 sons, Noah and Ethan, and the family moved to Montclair, New Jersey, where he was a member of the Upper Montclair Country Club. Mike and Kay moved to Arizona 6 years ago to enjoy their retirement, where he enjoyed the warm weather, playing golf and travelling.
Mike had numerous interests. He played the guitar, enjoyed scuba diving, and photography. He had a passion for Oklahoma Football, making frequent Fall visits to Norman, Okla., and visiting the Chapman family farm, in Prague, Okla. He was also a painter, and had produced several original works and reproductions of notable famous paintings in his studio. He will be remembered for his athletic accomplishments, passion for golf, love of jazz music, appreciation for the arts and the thrill of living in New York City and travelling the world. He will be admired for his belief in one's self and love of his country.
He is survived by his wife Kay who lives in Carefree, Ariz.; three sons, Shane Chapman, 51, and wife Nicole, Hanover, New Hampshire; Noah Chapman, 33, and significant other, Lianna Flynn, Oakland, California; Ethan Chapman, 29, Austin, Texas; sister, Susanne Burklow, Tempe, Arizona; brother, Mark Chapman, of Iowa, Louisiana; and his grandchildren Harrison Chapman, New York, New York, 24; and Camille Chapman, Hanover, New Hampshire, 21.