Grace Arlene Chapman was born in Wiota, Iowa on January 12, 1924 to Henry and Hattie Etta (Garey) Chapman. Her gentle soul entered into rest on March 16, 2015 at the Adair County Memorial Hospital surrounded by her beloved family.
Grace was one of ten children and was raised and educated in the Massena area. She graduated the 8th grade in a country school which was also where she would meet her future husband. As the story goes, a baseball game was in progress and Virgil Boos was up to bat. He hit a line drive that hit Grace smack dab in the forehead and knocked her to the ground. He always said knocking her out was the only way to get her attention. Apparently it worked, as the pair were married in Shenandoah, Iowa on March 31, 1947.
The couple welcomed two children to the union: Ron and Julie. The family would settle on a farm northeast of Cumberland. The couple also worked for the school system – Virgil driving the school bus and Grace cooking in the kitchen. Her smiling face was such a comfort to her grandchildren who were lucky enough to get to see her every day when homemade cinnamon rolls were still a part of delicious school lunches. She would even come out and sit with them if they were just a bit slower eating than the rest of their classmates.
Grace retired from the school in 1993 and spent her time from then on finding little ways to bring joy to her family. Visits to Grandma’s house meant there would always be a cookie or two waiting, because she made sure the container on the table was never empty. She spent countless hours decorating tea towels and quilt blocks with needlepoint – those labors of love became graduation and wedding gifts for her grandchildren. She faithfully kept a journal and was the most reliable source of past planting and harvest dates for Ron. As young family members grew and started to spread their wings, Grandma Grace would start collecting little treasures to create care packages to send with them. And she found great joy in the birds that flocked to the feeders outside her window, especially the brilliant red cardinals.
As Grace was happiest when surrounded by family, she loved the annual summer trip to Minnesota. A tradition since 1959, what once just required one cabin to house their little family, eventually grew to necessitate reserving the entire resort to house the whole family for a week of fishing and stories and precious time together at the lake. Aside from those yearly vacations, Grace and Virgil were content to stay close to home and their family, with the exception of their 40th anniversary. On that occasion, Ron and Julie decided to surprise their parents with a trip to see longtime friends Terry and Millie Harris in California.
For Grace, it was always about family and making each member feel like they were the most important person in the world. She touched each of their hearts in such a way that encouraged them to see the best in themselves. It was a great testament to her influence that not one, but two, of her great-granddaughters were named after her.
Grace is survived by her husband Virgil; her son Ron, of Massena; her daughter Julie (Kent) Stender of Massena; six grandchildren; sixteen great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; brother Lewis of Wiota, sisters-in-law Betty Chapman of Massena, Mary Chapman of Red Oak, and Lela Boos of Atlantic; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.
Preceding her into rest were her parents, Henry and Hattie Chapman; her sisters: Dorothea Eden and spouse Fritz, Bonnie Nelson and spouse George, Thelma Hatfield and spouse Ross, and Cora Alice Meyer and spouse Duane; her brothers: Ernie Chapman, Claude Chapman and spouse Margaret, Clyde Chapman, and Andrew Chapman; her parents-in-law, Clarence and Elsie Boos, and her daughter-in-law Michal Sue Boos.
Grace was one of ten children and was raised and educated in the Massena area. She graduated the 8th grade in a country school which was also where she would meet her future husband. As the story goes, a baseball game was in progress and Virgil Boos was up to bat. He hit a line drive that hit Grace smack dab in the forehead and knocked her to the ground. He always said knocking her out was the only way to get her attention. Apparently it worked, as the pair were married in Shenandoah, Iowa on March 31, 1947.
The couple welcomed two children to the union: Ron and Julie. The family would settle on a farm northeast of Cumberland. The couple also worked for the school system – Virgil driving the school bus and Grace cooking in the kitchen. Her smiling face was such a comfort to her grandchildren who were lucky enough to get to see her every day when homemade cinnamon rolls were still a part of delicious school lunches. She would even come out and sit with them if they were just a bit slower eating than the rest of their classmates.
Grace retired from the school in 1993 and spent her time from then on finding little ways to bring joy to her family. Visits to Grandma’s house meant there would always be a cookie or two waiting, because she made sure the container on the table was never empty. She spent countless hours decorating tea towels and quilt blocks with needlepoint – those labors of love became graduation and wedding gifts for her grandchildren. She faithfully kept a journal and was the most reliable source of past planting and harvest dates for Ron. As young family members grew and started to spread their wings, Grandma Grace would start collecting little treasures to create care packages to send with them. And she found great joy in the birds that flocked to the feeders outside her window, especially the brilliant red cardinals.
As Grace was happiest when surrounded by family, she loved the annual summer trip to Minnesota. A tradition since 1959, what once just required one cabin to house their little family, eventually grew to necessitate reserving the entire resort to house the whole family for a week of fishing and stories and precious time together at the lake. Aside from those yearly vacations, Grace and Virgil were content to stay close to home and their family, with the exception of their 40th anniversary. On that occasion, Ron and Julie decided to surprise their parents with a trip to see longtime friends Terry and Millie Harris in California.
For Grace, it was always about family and making each member feel like they were the most important person in the world. She touched each of their hearts in such a way that encouraged them to see the best in themselves. It was a great testament to her influence that not one, but two, of her great-granddaughters were named after her.
Grace is survived by her husband Virgil; her son Ron, of Massena; her daughter Julie (Kent) Stender of Massena; six grandchildren; sixteen great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; brother Lewis of Wiota, sisters-in-law Betty Chapman of Massena, Mary Chapman of Red Oak, and Lela Boos of Atlantic; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.
Preceding her into rest were her parents, Henry and Hattie Chapman; her sisters: Dorothea Eden and spouse Fritz, Bonnie Nelson and spouse George, Thelma Hatfield and spouse Ross, and Cora Alice Meyer and spouse Duane; her brothers: Ernie Chapman, Claude Chapman and spouse Margaret, Clyde Chapman, and Andrew Chapman; her parents-in-law, Clarence and Elsie Boos, and her daughter-in-law Michal Sue Boos.
Grace Arlene Chapman was born in Wiota, Iowa on January 12, 1924 to Henry and Hattie Etta (Garey) Chapman. Her gentle soul entered into rest on March 16, 2015 at the Adair County Memorial Hospital surrounded by her beloved family.
Grace was one of ten children and was raised and educated in the Massena area. She graduated the 8th grade in a country school which was also where she would meet her future husband. As the story goes, a baseball game was in progress and Virgil Boos was up to bat. He hit a line drive that hit Grace smack dab in the forehead and knocked her to the ground. He always said knocking her out was the only way to get her attention. Apparently it worked, as the pair were married in Shenandoah, Iowa on March 31, 1947.
The couple welcomed two children to the union: Ron and Julie. The family would settle on a farm northeast of Cumberland. The couple also worked for the school system – Virgil driving the school bus and Grace cooking in the kitchen. Her smiling face was such a comfort to her grandchildren who were lucky enough to get to see her every day when homemade cinnamon rolls were still a part of delicious school lunches. She would even come out and sit with them if they were just a bit slower eating than the rest of their classmates.
Grace retired from the school in 1993 and spent her time from then on finding little ways to bring joy to her family. Visits to Grandma’s house meant there would always be a cookie or two waiting, because she made sure the container on the table was never empty. She spent countless hours decorating tea towels and quilt blocks with needlepoint – those labors of love became graduation and wedding gifts for her grandchildren. She faithfully kept a journal and was the most reliable source of past planting and harvest dates for Ron. As young family members grew and started to spread their wings, Grandma Grace would start collecting little treasures to create care packages to send with them. And she found great joy in the birds that flocked to the feeders outside her window, especially the brilliant red cardinals.
As Grace was happiest when surrounded by family, she loved the annual summer trip to Minnesota. A tradition since 1959, what once just required one cabin to house their little family, eventually grew to necessitate reserving the entire resort to house the whole family for a week of fishing and stories and precious time together at the lake. Aside from those yearly vacations, Grace and Virgil were content to stay close to home and their family, with the exception of their 40th anniversary. On that occasion, Ron and Julie decided to surprise their parents with a trip to see longtime friends Terry and Millie Harris in California.
For Grace, it was always about family and making each member feel like they were the most important person in the world. She touched each of their hearts in such a way that encouraged them to see the best in themselves. It was a great testament to her influence that not one, but two, of her great-granddaughters were named after her.
Grace is survived by her husband Virgil; her son Ron, of Massena; her daughter Julie (Kent) Stender of Massena; six grandchildren; sixteen great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; brother Lewis of Wiota, sisters-in-law Betty Chapman of Massena, Mary Chapman of Red Oak, and Lela Boos of Atlantic; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.
Preceding her into rest were her parents, Henry and Hattie Chapman; her sisters: Dorothea Eden and spouse Fritz, Bonnie Nelson and spouse George, Thelma Hatfield and spouse Ross, and Cora Alice Meyer and spouse Duane; her brothers: Ernie Chapman, Claude Chapman and spouse Margaret, Clyde Chapman, and Andrew Chapman; her parents-in-law, Clarence and Elsie Boos, and her daughter-in-law Michal Sue Boos.
Grace was one of ten children and was raised and educated in the Massena area. She graduated the 8th grade in a country school which was also where she would meet her future husband. As the story goes, a baseball game was in progress and Virgil Boos was up to bat. He hit a line drive that hit Grace smack dab in the forehead and knocked her to the ground. He always said knocking her out was the only way to get her attention. Apparently it worked, as the pair were married in Shenandoah, Iowa on March 31, 1947.
The couple welcomed two children to the union: Ron and Julie. The family would settle on a farm northeast of Cumberland. The couple also worked for the school system – Virgil driving the school bus and Grace cooking in the kitchen. Her smiling face was such a comfort to her grandchildren who were lucky enough to get to see her every day when homemade cinnamon rolls were still a part of delicious school lunches. She would even come out and sit with them if they were just a bit slower eating than the rest of their classmates.
Grace retired from the school in 1993 and spent her time from then on finding little ways to bring joy to her family. Visits to Grandma’s house meant there would always be a cookie or two waiting, because she made sure the container on the table was never empty. She spent countless hours decorating tea towels and quilt blocks with needlepoint – those labors of love became graduation and wedding gifts for her grandchildren. She faithfully kept a journal and was the most reliable source of past planting and harvest dates for Ron. As young family members grew and started to spread their wings, Grandma Grace would start collecting little treasures to create care packages to send with them. And she found great joy in the birds that flocked to the feeders outside her window, especially the brilliant red cardinals.
As Grace was happiest when surrounded by family, she loved the annual summer trip to Minnesota. A tradition since 1959, what once just required one cabin to house their little family, eventually grew to necessitate reserving the entire resort to house the whole family for a week of fishing and stories and precious time together at the lake. Aside from those yearly vacations, Grace and Virgil were content to stay close to home and their family, with the exception of their 40th anniversary. On that occasion, Ron and Julie decided to surprise their parents with a trip to see longtime friends Terry and Millie Harris in California.
For Grace, it was always about family and making each member feel like they were the most important person in the world. She touched each of their hearts in such a way that encouraged them to see the best in themselves. It was a great testament to her influence that not one, but two, of her great-granddaughters were named after her.
Grace is survived by her husband Virgil; her son Ron, of Massena; her daughter Julie (Kent) Stender of Massena; six grandchildren; sixteen great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; brother Lewis of Wiota, sisters-in-law Betty Chapman of Massena, Mary Chapman of Red Oak, and Lela Boos of Atlantic; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.
Preceding her into rest were her parents, Henry and Hattie Chapman; her sisters: Dorothea Eden and spouse Fritz, Bonnie Nelson and spouse George, Thelma Hatfield and spouse Ross, and Cora Alice Meyer and spouse Duane; her brothers: Ernie Chapman, Claude Chapman and spouse Margaret, Clyde Chapman, and Andrew Chapman; her parents-in-law, Clarence and Elsie Boos, and her daughter-in-law Michal Sue Boos.
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