Gail Jean Chapman

1953 - 2023

Romance, Ark. - Gail Jean Chapman of Romance, Ark. (Dec. 26, 1953 - Jan. 22, 2023) God saw that she was not getting better, and the cure was not to be, so He put his arms around her and whispered, "Come home with Me." With tearful eyes we saw her suffer and watched her fade away, although we loved her deeply, we could not make her stay. A golden heart stopped beating; a determined soul was at rest. God awoke our hearts to prove to us – He only takes the best.

Gail Jean Chapman, 69, of Romance, passed after her courageous battle with cancer. She was born in Groton, to Warren "Bud" Jr. and Betty Ann (Apicelli) Chapman. Gail grew up in a lively home with five siblings. She is preceded in death by her father; brother Warren B. Chapman III (Linda); and sister Dorothy Ann Chapman; grandparents, Charles Joseph and Bernice (Hopkins) Apicelli, whom she adored; Warren B. Sr. and Dorothy (Winkler) Chapman. She loved telling stories about them. Survivors include her mother; sisters, Elaine Lombardi, lovingly referred to as Blondie, (John Jr.) and Lynn Quigley; and brother Darrell Chapman; along with numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. All will miss her.

She attended Sacred Heart Elementary and Saint Bernard High School for Girls in Connecticut. In high school, she excelled at sports including softball and basketball. There she met Johnna; her life-time best friend of 54 years. After school, she moved to Arkansas, then to San Francisco, Calif.

Gail spent most of her life loving the City of San Francisco, with its old Victorian homes. She helped to restore the Pullman Family Home and Galoob Toys Store. Later she went City College of San Francisco and became a CNA home health aide. She was a fantastic person and was larger than life, very caring about others, a friend to ALL and a stranger to none. She touched many lives with her generosity as she would go to the moon for anyone. She was genuine with a magical knack for bringing people out of their shell and was always upbeat in company. Making people laugh was her mission.

She never missed calling everyone on their birthday or holiday with the call usually ending with her favorite quote, "That's my story and I'm sticking to it;" and "I love you more!"

The family of Gail would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Gail's cousins, Bobbie (Chapman) Hicks, Paula (Chapman) Hadaway, along with friends Johnna, Athena and Kasey for taking such loving care of Gail these past six months. "Your care, love and beautiful spirits have brought so much peace to all who loved Gail."

In lieu of flowers, donation can be made to Gail's favorite charity, San Francisco Firefighters' Toy Program, 1139 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. The family will hold a memorial later.