Alison Chapman

1933 - 2025

Alison Chapman
3/9/2025
Alison Ann Chapman (née Faulkner) passed away peacefully at home in New Haven on March 9, 2025, at the age of 92.
Born on February 3, 1933, in Lincoln, Nebraska, Alison's early life was marked by creativity and academic prowess. During her college years, she shone as a beauty queen, was an active member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and made her debut as an Ak-Sar-Ben Countess in Omaha. A proud "Cornhusker", she graduated from the University of Nebraska with honors, and went on to earn a Master's degree in Art Education from Penn State.
Alison devoted much of her life to education and service. In the early 1970s, she led the Parent-Teacher Association at Barnard School before advancing to the role of PTA president for the City of New Haven. She enjoyed a distinguished 30-year career as Director at School Volunteers of New Haven, influencing countless lives along the way.
A woman of many talents, Alison was an accomplished actress, singer, dancer, painter, sculptor, and potter. In addition, she was an exceptional seamstress, lovingly creating many of her children's clothes and designing imaginative Halloween costumes-from Raggedy Ann to Snoopy.
Her clear, resonant voice lent itself to recording textbooks for the blind, making her contributions truly invaluable. Alison was also active in civic affairs, serving as president of the North End Club from 2012 to 2014 and giving her time to many volunteer activities. In 1983, she was recognized as an Elm in the Elm-Ivy Awards for her efforts to strengthen town-gown relations between Yale University and New Haven. Later, in 1987, she became the founding house mother of the Zeta Xi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Yale University.
Alison is survived by her devoted husband, Frank Chapman of New Haven; her son, Robert Chapman of Omaha, Nebraska (fiancée Sue Collin); her daughter, Elizabeth Chapman of Redmond, Washington; and her cherished granddaughters, Lucy Hill Chapman and Vivian Hill Chapman of Omaha. She is also survived by her brother, Richard W. Faulkner Jr. (Carol) of Lincoln, Nebraska. She was predeceased by her parents, Mildred and Richard William Faulkner of Lincoln.
Visitation will be held on Friday, March 28, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Beecher & Bennett Funeral Home, located at 2300 Whitney Avenue in Hamden, CT. A graveside service will follow at Grove Street Cemetery, with friends invited to join the family for luncheon at the New Haven Lawn Club, thereafter.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to Planned Parenthood or Malta House (Norwalk, CT).