Nancy Chapman

1937 - 2023

Nancy Chapman peacefully passed away on August 8, 2023, at the age of 86. She was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Roy Tomomichi and Shirley Ayame Kuraishi on August 3, 1937. While she spent her elementary school years in public school, she attended St. Andrews's Priory until 1955 where she met several life-long friends. She spent two years at the University of Hawaii before transferring to Macalester College in St. Paul, graduating in 1959. After a summer in Honolulu, Nancy went on to the University of Wisconsin in Madison to earn a master's degree in political science. Shortly after returning to Honolulu in 1961, she began working for the International Training Agency of the East-West Center on the University of Hawaii campus. During that time, through mutual friends, she met Richard Chapman who had left Rochester, New York to escape its bitter cold winters. He worked as an accountant with Peat, Marwick & Mitchell.In 1963, Dick and Nancy were married and three years later, moved with their daughter Lauren, to Marin County where Nancy worked for the City & County of San Francisco, County of Marin, and Fireman's Fund Insurance Co., from where she eventually retired in 2001.While Dick and Nancy were married for 54 years, they loved to travel. Some of their memorable destinations were to European countries, cruises with close friends on the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas, around South America, the Japanese islands, and river cruises along the Danube, Mosel, and Seine. Many weekends were also spent wine tasting in Sonoma and Napa. In search of new, undiscovered wineries, they traveled to Carmel Valley, San Luis Obispo, Lompoc, and various parts of Southern California. Sadly, Dick passed away in 2017.One of Nancy's greatest joys was testing baked goods recipes which she shared with the 8 a.m. service members at the Church of the Nativity.In her last months, she was often downloading dinner recipes for her and her son to collaborate on and enjoy together. When she passed, she was surrounded by family members and her minister. She is survived by her son, Mark (Christine) Chapman, granddaughter, Lindsey, and grandson, Alec. She is also survived by her daughter, Lauren (Philip) Cross, grandsons, Nicholas and Steffan, and granddaughter, April.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Nancy's name to the Church of the Nativity, 333 Ellen Drive, San Rafael, CA, 94903 or a charity of your choice.