Joy Ann Chapman

September 27, 1938 - June 30, 2024
9/27/1938 - 6/30/2024

Joy Chapman was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut to Jim and Dorothy Bedo. After graduation from Fairfield High School, the family moved to Tucson, Arizona so that Joy and her twin sister Janet could attend the University of Arizona. It was there that Joy met her future husband Gary during Freshman Week. Joy majored in Liberal Studies (German and French), graduated with her B.A. in 1960, and was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa. Joy was then accepted into the graduate program at the University of Colorado, majoring in German. After earning her M.A. degree, Joy and Gary were married and moved to Tucson. Joy taught German and French to high school students while her husband worked on his Ph.D. in Astronomy. To further her education, Joy attended a German language institute in Heidelberg, Germany in the summer of 1967. Following her husband's graduation in 1968, the couple moved to Hawaii where their son Alan was born. In 1969, the family moved to Manhattan Beach, California. To pursue her interest in fine art, Joy began art studies at El Camino Community College, eventually obtaining a B.A degree in art. The family then moved to Northridge, California when Joy's husband joined the faculty at Cal State University Northridge. Later, Joy began teaching French at The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, California.She also took art classes at CSUN, where she received an M.A. degree in 1987.

Joy enjoyed camping with family at national parks across the Southwest. Joy was also an avid gardener, growing wonderful vegetables. While growing up in Connecticut, Joy and her twin sister learned to cook for their working parents. Joy always loved making German, French and Hungarian food for family and friends.

Joy bravely fought breast cancer on and off for twenty-six years, She was an inspiration to us all. Joy was preceded in death by her parents, her twin sister, Janet, and her younger sister Dorothy May. She is survived by her husband Gary, her son Alan, and her sister-in-law Susan Cordell (TOM) and twelve nieces and nephews,