Verna Lee Chapman

Verna L. Chapman
Birmingham, Michigan
Died peacefully in her home, October 25th, 2023, aged 89. Verna is the loving wife of the late James M. Chapman (d. 2012); loving mother of Sandi Rosnik of St. Helen, MI; Wendy Chapman of Birmingham, MI; and Douglas Yuhn of Erie, MI. Verna is also survived by her brother Russell Harris, as well as many loving grandchildren, great grandchildren, and extended family and friends.
Verna was born in 1934, to Dorothy Harris (nee McKay) and Earl S. Harris. A true Depression-era baby, she was raised with the values of hard work, thrift, determination, and self-sufficiency. If there was a problem that needed to be solved, or a task that needed completion, she would do it and do it perfectly. She could paint, wallpaper, sew like a dream, iron better than Martha Stewart, and clean like a Tasmanian Devil.
As a single mother of two young kids (Sandi and Doug), she worked tirelessly to make sure all their needs were met, doing stenography for the Social Services Department of Detroit. It was there that she met Jim. Sparks didn't immediately fly. She confessed that she was mostly annoyed by his dreadful handwriting, which made it difficult for her to transpose his notes, so she kept calling him down to translate his chicken scratch, and he badgered her until she agreed to date him. They were married in June of 1962 and had Wendy in 1963. She and Jim started traveling the world in the late 1970s and ended up going on 65 cruises before Jim's death in 2012. She loved Japan most of all, and was obsessed with Asian art and decor long before it was cool.
She was an avid fan of bodice rippers, game shows, and crime procedurals on TV, the darker the better. She loved crappy coffee, Chardonnay, gum drops, orange slices, mini muffins, cookies, and macaroni and stewed tomatoes (a holdover from her childhood days that Jim and the kids refused to eat).
She would never, ever leave the house without full makeup, perfume, perfect hair and eyebrows, and her beloved jewelry. One of her favorite pieces of advice was: "Have a secret bank account. Tell no one, especially your husband. That way, you can buy all the purses and shoes you want." She took no BS, and never hesitated to give you a piece of her mind.
She would be the first to tell you that she lived a life beyond her wildest dreams of prosperity, abundance, travel, adventure, and great love, with over 50 years of marriage to Jim. She always maintained that she was truly lucky beyond belief.
Special thanks to her caregivers Tonisha McFarland, Jennifer Hughes, Rob Beverly, Yana Dale, Chardai Robertson, and Tamika Westberry, who showered her with love and devotion to her last breath. They were truly family to her, and treated her like the queen she was.
Thank you for keeping the Chapman family in your thoughts and prayers.
In keeping with Verna's wishes, no public services are planned at this time.