On Tuesday, December 13, 2022, Ellsworth R. (Bud) Chapman Jr., a beloved husband, father, and grandfather passed away. He was 86 years old. A Mass will be celebrated on Saturday Dec. 17th at 2:00 PM at Prince of Peace Parish, Clinton. Visitation will be held on Friday 5:00 – 7:00 PM at the Pape Funeral Home. Burial will be held at Negaunee City Cemetery in Negaunee, MI on Tuesday at Noon. Online condolences may be left at www.papefh.com.
Born to Ellsworth Chapman Sr. and Estelle Nardi in Negaunee, MI, Bud graduated from Marquette University with a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering and went on to become a mechanical engineer at Allis-Chalmers in Milwaukee, WI. After moving to Clinton, IA in 1968, he changed jobs and started working for E.I. DuPont where he remained for a few years. Eventually he moved to Clinton Corn (now called A.D.M.) where he settled in for the remainder of his career.
Bud met his wife, Mary Maki, when they were children. They started out as friends and that friendship blossomed into dating when they were in 11th and 10th grade. They got married on August 30, 1958. and were together for sixty-four years. Bud and Mary have been members of Prince of Peace Catholic Church for fifty-four years where Bud was on the parish council and lector. Bud and Mary were members of the Mercedes-Benz Club and Goldwing Motorcycle Touring Club, which included lots of adventures across the country, exploring many of the National Parks. Later on in life, Bud and Mary started renting a condo in Gulf Shores, AL during the winter months and continued that tradition for fourteen years. Bud also enjoyed playing cards with many friends and spending time with his grandchildren at the family cottage on Bass Lake in Upper Michigan every summer.
Bud is survived by his wife, Mary, broth2er, Stanley (Barb) Chapman, two children, Stephanie (Ron) Tegeler and Richard (Kim) Chapman, four grandchildren, Amy (Ryan) McCormick, Brianna (Casey) Abernathey, Connie (A.J.) Ross, and Bethany Tegeler, and four great-grandchildren, Dylan, Brayden, Logan, and Henley. He was preceded in death by his parents and four brothers.