Obituary of Esther Salladay Chapman

Esther Salladay Chapman 96, of Tucson, AZ, died October 2, 2010 following an extended illness. Esther was born in Chicago in 1913 and raised in Savoy, IL. Always a high achiever, Esther was the salutatorian of her high school class and planned to become a writer. The Great Depression of the 1930's derailed her plans to attend college and she began work for the University of Illinois. In July of 1935, Esther married Larue Chapman of Champaign-Urbana, IL. In the early years of her marriage and during WWII, Esther lived in CA, TX, NM, Phoenix and Tucson. In the early 1950's she moved to South Bend, IN and worked for Uniroyal for over 20 years until her retirement, when she returned to Tucson and lived for the past 27 years. Esther's life always centered on her family. She was a wonderful cook, an avid reader, and loved to follow politics and current events. She also loved sports, especially baseball (a devoted Chicago Cubs fan) and college basketball. Preceded in death by her siblings, Richard and Ruth. She is survived by her daughter, Susan Cordell (Thomas) of Tucson; her sons, Gary Chapman (Joy) of Northridge, CA and Richard Chapman of Tucson; grandchildren, Alan, Christian, Brian and Michael Chapman, Colin and Audrey Cordell and great-grandchildren, Shiloh and Halle Chapman and Caysea and Owen Cordell. Esther's greatest legacy is the unconditional love she shared with her family all her life. She was always there whenever they needed her and was a very important part of their lives until her death. The loss of her loving smile and constant support leave us all so saddened but so grateful to have had her in our lives for so many wonderful years. A private remembrance will be held. In lieu of flowers, Esther may be honored with a donation to the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, The University of Arizona, 1131 East 2nd Street, P.O. Box 210071, Tucson, AZ 85721-0071, Attn: Cathy Fay. Arrangements by DESERT SUNSET.