Chapman, Ruth Eleanor (Welsh)

Ruth E. Chapman
Aug. 13, 1929 - Oct. 13, 2006

Mrs. Ruth Eleanor Chapman, 77, of Niles, Michigan, died at 3 a.m. Friday, October 13, 2006, in her home following a courageous battle with ALS.

She was born on August 13, 1929, in Niles to Charles J. and Effie (MacDonald) Welsh, and lived in Niles all of her life. She graduated from Niles High School in 1947, and was employed in the offices of Simplicity Pattern Company, Niles for 37 years, retiring in 1994.

Mrs. Chapman was a member of the Woman's Professional Club of Simplicity Pattern, and volunteered as a mentor for Junior Achievement. She enjoyed cruises to Alaska, Hawaii, and the Bahamas, and visiting Las Vegas.

She practiced handcrafts such as crochet, and liked to cook and bake for her family, but her greatest joy was spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

On March 1, 1957, in Niles, she married Donald G. Chapman, who survives. Also, surviving are three daughters, Christine Wilson of Lansing, Michigan, LuAnn (and Donald) Meyers of Niles, and Lynn (and Jeff) Culp of Muncie, Indiana; three grandchildren, Erin Wilson, Justin Wilson Sr., and Matt Kidwell; and three great-grandchildren, Annalise Wilson, Justin Wilson Jr., and Emily Morgan Kidwell.

She was preceded in death by five brothers, Claire Welsh, Claude Welsh, Willis Welsh, Ernest Welsh, and Roger Welsh; and four sisters, Doris Jones, Alice Goodsell, Helen McConaghy, and Virginia Welsh.

The funeral service for Ruth E. Chapman will be at noon Tuesday, October 17, 2006, in Wesley United Methodist Church, Niles, with the Rev. Emmett H. Kadwell Jr. of the church officiating. Committal services will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery, Niles.

The family will receive relatives and friends in Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Monday. Contributions in memory of Mrs. Chapman may be made to the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association.

Submitted by family member; publication details unknown