Henry Chapman, businessman, veteran, and affable outdoorsman, has died at 93
He looked lovingly after his extended family and shared the wonders of nature and adventure with many of them.
Henry Chapman, 93, formerly of St. Davids, a businessman, veteran, affable outdoorsman, and warmhearted family man, died Saturday, July 1, of frailty syndrome at a medical hospice in Clearwater, Fla.
Reared in Radnor and a longtime resident of St. Davids, Mr. Chapman defined what it is to be a patriarch and adventurer. He raised his daughter, Delphine, and son, Walter, and welcomed the younger sister and brother of his first wife, Liane, into his home after their parents died.
He cared for his own parents as they grew older and was close to his three sisters and cousins. He escorted his grandchildren on numerous visits to museums and art galleries, and they usually spent the rest of the day discussing their favorite exhibits.
He married his second wife, Constance Wallace, after his first wife died in 2013, and they made a new life together in Florida.
Mr. Chapman also introduced his family to countless trails, lakes, fishing holes, and starry nights in the wilds of New York, Maine, Canada, and elsewhere. They camped for years every summer in the Adirondack Mountains, and he took them hiking, boating, fishing, and swimming.
His children called him their personal nature guide, and he began many adventures by starting the car and declaring: “We’re off.” His children said he was “happiest gliding around a lake on a canoe with a fishing rod and some lures.”
Mr. Chapman had an impressive collection of guns and rods, and he went hunting for big game in British Columbia and on exotic fishing tours in Venezuela. He was a dynamic storyteller, had plenty of tales to share, and published several accounts of his outdoor exploits in a sports magazine.
“He was always a friendly and fun-loving person with lots of friends,” his family said.
Henry Chapman was born May 28, 1930, and his parents showed him the wonders of nature and travel with many summer stays at their home in Lake Placid, N.Y. He attended Episcopal Academy, graduated from Westtown School, and took classes at Temple University. He left college to join the Army during the Korean War and maintained military coding machines in Okinawa.
He worked for years at the family firm of C.C. Collings investment bankers and as a salesman. Colleagues and clients alike were attracted to his friendly nature. “He got along with people from all walks of life,” his daughter said. “He loved to have fun and never judged people.”
Mr. Chapman met Liane Laplace after he left the Army, and they married in 1953, and lived in St. Davids. They traveled to Europe after he retired in 1980 and moved to Washington, Maine, in the early 2000s to be near their daughter and her family.
In Washington, Mr. Chapman was active on civic committees that addressed housing and other local issues. Of course, he continued to wander in the Maine wilderness.
Competitive and excitable, Mr. Chapman was known to take on all comers at the chess board and generally showed no mercy, even to family. He liked muscle cars, built model airplanes, and became an avid photographer.
He enjoyed racquetball, squash, and court tennis, and he and his father rarely missed the boxing match of the week on TV. He played pool at the local American Legion hall and later took up bridge.
He collected prints, cameras, and pool cues, and often grew nostalgic when someone played an Elvis Presley song on the jukebox. “He was an extremely patient person,” his daughter said. “He was a very giving person.”
In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Chapman is survived by seven grandchildren, one great-grandson, two sisters, and other relatives. A sister died earlier.
A celebration of his life is to be held later.