John F. Chapman

John was born in early 1931 in Springfield, Missouri to George and Esther Chapman. His family moved to Evanston Wyoming in 1935, and built a beautiful home there on Summit Street. He was appointed to the U.S Naval Academy in 1949 and graduated in 1953, in the same class as former presidential candidate Ross Perot. He then attended Purdue University and earned a master’s degree in Civil Engineering. As an Air Force officer, John worked and lived in Labrador, Canada and Texas. Seeking adventure and interested in prospecting, he pursued a civil engineer job opening at the Fairbanks City Manager’s office in Alaska, where he left the Air Force to move in 1960. While in Fairbanks he met his wife Darlene - a local school teacher at the time – at the Fairbanks Curling Club. They were married in Anchorage in 1966 and had three children, Elizabeth Chapman, Judy Chapman (Parker Martyn), and Bill Chapman. He was employed as a civil engineer at Tryck Nyman and Hayes for over 40 years, becoming a company partner.

John was an avid O gauge train enthusiast who built a massive model set encompassing an entire basement room, where he put his artistic skills and patience to the test. He spent hundreds of hours crafting small trees, mountains and other aspects of the diorama, designing electrical systems, and planning the next multilevel phase -- an impressive architectural achievement in which 3 trains can run at once (4 with careful timing).

John and Darlene are members of Holy Spirit Episcopal Church in Eagle River. Attending church and singing as a bass in the church choir were for many years highlights of John’s week.

John was also an avid boater for many years out of Whittier. His 24-foot Danish Coronet, the Anne Marie, weathered many storms and allowed the Chapmans to successfully catch salmon, many sculpins, and some king crab and shrimp. The Chapmans spent many weekends on the sound fishing and staying in forest service cabins. On at least one occasion he was notably proud of skippering the only boat known to return to Whittier on a day of 6 foot + seas. (His kids remain scarred.)

John was always a dog lover, and he has had special relationships with his kids’ dogs over the years, including Ginny, Kimmik, Louie, Butane, and Maddie. In recent years, John loved spending time at home, walking his favorite creature in the world, son Bill’s 140-pound malamute, Monty. John and Monty were a fixture in the neighborhood, walking everywhere. John would take Monty to Eagle River campground, Beach Lake, Mirror Lake, the Eagle River Visitor Center, and up Mt. Baldy, sometimes multiple times a day, to keep him exercised and entertained. There was always an array of dog treats on hand at the Chapman household.

John was caring and generous with his time and efforts. He showed his love through acts of kindness. He supported his children through school, helped industrious grandkids Anna and Will Shumway build a fort (that turned into a small cabin), and built an extravagant dog house cover to provide various dogs extra shelter from the weather.

John was well loved by his family and participated in countless family celebrations and dinners. John was actually enjoying a celebration of his wife Darlene’s birthday when he had his cardiac event, surrounded by family and good food. All in all, not a bad way to exit this world.

The Chapman family would like to thank the staff of the Double Musky for their quick response and understanding in a crisis, as well as the firefighter, nurses, and Girdwood EMS team that worked diligently and quickly to save John’s life. Although ultimately unsuccessful, their expertise, compassion, and professionalism were (and remain) hugely appreciated. We thank you.