Helen Louise Chapman

Helen Louise (Hurst) Chapman (1942-2025)

Helen Louise (Hurst) Chapman, 83, died in her home in Southaven, Mississippi on October 28, 2025. She was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia on January 23, 1942 to Wayne Hurst and Florence Petrilas. She graduated from Branford High School in Branford, Connecticut in 1959 before moving to New York City, where she met and married book and magazine production executive Robert D. Chapman, her husband of 25 years, in 1973. They moved to South Florida, where she lived for many years working as a medical transcriptionist at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. After her husband passed, she relocated to East Tennessee and, finally, to her daughter Linda’s home in Mississippi.

Helen enjoyed regaling everyone with stories of her life. She loved to reflect on her past and spent her final years compiling information on her ancestry. Above all, she loved her family, including her church family at Fall Branch United Methodist Church in Fall Branch, Tennessee. Helen was one of the sweetest souls. Her laugh was unforgettable and so was the depth of her love. Her presence will be dearly missed, but she will be thought of whenever family and friends see bluebirds, her favorite of God’s creations.

Helen was preceded in death by her husband Bob, and sisters Pat and Linda. She is survived by sister Connie; brother Paul; daughters Robin, Janice, Linda, and Kimberly; sons Vance and Geoffrey; grandchildren Lyndsey, Jesse, Christopher, Brian, Rebecca, Arlyss, Ethan, and Jennifer; great-grandchildren Justin, Nathan, Kaitlyn, Bernard, and Julien; and many other loving relatives.

Before she passed, Helen wrote some words for her family and friends: “I’m at peace. Do me proud! Be Kind, Be Good, Be Happy. I love you all so much! Your wife, your mother, your daughter, your grandmother, your great grandmother, your sister, your friend. I was all of these things – who could ask for more? I’ve had a full life and got everything and more of what I wanted out of life.”

Celebration of Helen’s life will take place near the Jupiter Lighthouse in Jupiter, Florida at a future date.

Donation to Dementia Society of America or Susan G. Komen foundations in lieu of flowers appreciated.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Helen Louise Chapman, please visit our flower store.