Wayne Chapman, long time Oak Harbor resident, died at Homeplace on July 1, 2007.

Born on Oct. 25, 1920, in Columbus Ohio, Wayne was one of three children born to John and Lena Chapman. He grew up in Columbus, attended high school there, joined the Navy Reserves and was pursuing his education at Ohio State University at the beginning of World War II when he was called to active duty in 1941. During the war he was stationed on the USS Kane which patrolled in the Pacific Ocean. After the war Wayne went back to Columbus where he finished his degree in business at Ohio State and met and married Patricia Hoxie.

Wayne had grown to love Puget Sound and the Pacific Northwest during his time in the Navy and moved here settling first in Bremerton, then Tacoma and finally moving to Oak Harbor in 1958. He and Patty had four children together.

Once in Oak Harbor, Wayne spent a short time in the insurance business then he partnered with his cousin, Larry Fick, in the Real Estate Business. He stayed in that partnership, which eventually included a third partner, Lowell Harrington, until 1966 when he opened his own office, Wayne Chapman, Inc.

Wayne married Anna Mae Lee on October 11, 1975. Anna Mae was Wayne’s loving and devoted wife until his death. She has three children who Wayne also included in his life.

He owned and operated Wayne Chapman, Inc., which had evolved into two real estate offices, until 1982, when he sold the offices and “semi-retired.” Wayne continued in a variety of real estate development ventures, mostly in Florida, until his retirement in 1998.

In addition to serving his country and his family, Wayne was also actively involved in his community serving on various boards and in various organizations including the Whidbey Island Board of Realtors, Navy League (past president and national director), North Whidbey Chamber of Commerce, Whidbey Golf and Country Club and Oak Harbor Yacht Club. Wayne was also actively involved in his church, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.

Wayne was a dedicated and loving father. In addition to Anna Mae, he is survived by his four children, Rick (Michele) Chapman of Oak Harbor, Larry Chapman of Coupeville, Barbara Nicholson of Oak Harbor and Carrie (Pat) Shelley of Oak Harbor; Anna Mae’s three children, Donna Wagner of Clearwater Fla., Patricia (Mike) Kamp of Seattle and Jeff (Julie) Lee of Clearwater, Fla. Wayne’s 22 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren also survive him and brought him much joy. He was predeceased by his parents and both sisters, Marilyn and Grace.

Wayne’s Family would like to express their sincere thanks and gratitude for the loving care provided to him by the staff at Homeplace over the past 4½ years. The final years of his life were made so much better because of the caring folks there.

A memorial service celebrating Wayne’s life will be held at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Oak Harbor on Friday, July 13, at 1:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, Wayne’s family would ask that contributions be made to The Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org), Habitat for Humanity of Island County (P.O. BOX 2279, Oak Harbor, WA 98277) or to your favorite charity.