Merle Jeanette Chapman

Merle Jeanette Chapman went to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on November 11, 2026, after a short illness, just two days shy of her eighty-eighth birthday. Merle was a doting mother, sister, aunt, and grandmother. She especially adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She proudly displayed pictures of her grands all over her home. She also loved her many friends, and they loved her. Merle was a very independent Christian lady who was always on the go. She was always going to some sort of meeting, dinner with friends, a Baylor girls' basketball game, a family event, country dancing, church services, or shopping. She never slowed down.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, November 16, 2026, at First Methodist Church Waco, with the Rev. Dr. Blossom Matthews officiating. The family will hold a private burial service at Oakwood Cemetery.

Merle Jeanette Chapman was born on November 13, 1938, in Waco, Texas. She was the youngest of two children born to William (Bill) Jones, a construction superintendent who moved around the country building VA hospitals and U.S. post offices, and Frances Jones, a mother who filled their home with love, laughter, and wonderful food.

After a few years of moving all over the country with two young daughters, Bill decided to settle in Frances' hometown of Waco, where he started his own construction company and, a few years later, bought a lumberyard. Merle and her sister, Barbara, grew up in a loving, close-knit family with their parents and grandparents at home every day. They attended South Waco Elementary, South Junior, and Waco High. For fun, they went to movie matinees, enjoyed a delicious hamburger from Cupps Drive Inn, and spent many nights in the yard while family members made ice cream and played music on their banjos and guitars. When Merle was a teenager, Bill and Frances started taking their girls on regular trips to Panama City, Florida, in the summers. These trips created wonderful memories for Merle and her sister and likely sparked a love of travel for both girls.

After Merle graduated from Waco High, she went to work for her dad as a bookkeeper for Circle Lumber Co. and Jones and Williams Construction. She soon met and married Curtis Chapman and had two sons, Mark and Blake, just a couple of years apart. After about eight years, the marriage ended, so Merle started working extra jobs to support her two boys. After many years working for her dad as a bookkeeper for his businesses, she left and went to work for Education Service Center Region XII. Eventually, she was in charge of payroll for a large staff. She worked there for many years until she retired in her early sixties.

After retirement, Merle stayed busy by working part-time at the Children's Place, a children's clothing store, and by volunteering at Providence Hospital, logging over 6,000 hours and doing a stint as president of the volunteers. She had a love of flowers and gardening, so she was a member of the Waco Rose Society and the McLennan County Garden Club, where she became a Master Gardener. She had a beautifully landscaped yard at her home in Waco, where she lived for sixty-five years. Merle developed a love of travel at an early age, so in retirement, she was always going somewhere, either with a family member or one of her many friends.

Above all, Merle was a shopper. She loved to shop for clothes, shoes, and gifts for family and friends. She went out almost every day in search of a bargain.

Merle leaves behind a son, Mark Chapman, and wife, Carol; a son, Blake Chapman; a sister, Barbara Brunson, and husband, Luther; grandchildren Kristen Koster, Hannah Chapman, Emory Chapman, Jasmine McKain, and Jason Blanchard; great-grandchildren Jadyn Blanchard, Travis McKain, Jaxson Koster, and Paisley Allen; nephews Randy Cunningham and Alan Cunningham and wife, Deana; and niece Annette Ayers and husband, Mark.

Merle was preceded in death by her dad, William (Bill) Jones; her mom, Frances Jones; and a grandson, Jonathan Blanchard.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Fuzzy Friends Rescue or the American Cancer Society.

We invite you to leave a message or memory of Merle in her “Memorial Guestbook” at www.WHBfamily.com.