Robert Freeman Chappell, the only son of George Freeman and Ruth Estellene Chappell, was born on May 12, 1938, on a farm near Oakley, Iowa. He departed this life peacefully to meet his Lord and Savior on January 6, 2020, at the age of 81, following almost five years of battling cancer.
On May 28, 1967, he was united in marriage to Connie Sue Hook of Corydon, Iowa, and to this union three children were born: two sons, Todd Freeman and Barry Keith Chappell of Pensacola, Florida, and one daughter, Tonya Sue Demirgian of Berlin, New Jersey.
In his passing, he leaves his devoted wife, Connie, sister Donna Mumford, sons Todd and Barry Chappell, daughter Tonya Chappell Demirgian, daughters-in-law Jadine and Ruth Ann Chappell, son-in-law Edward Demirgian and 11 grandchildren: Shelby Chappell, Karissa Demirgian, Victoria Demirgian, David Chappell, Nathanael Demirgian, Jessica Chappell, Seth Demirgian, Christina Chappell, Moriah Demirgian, Joshua Chappell, and Caleb Chappell. He was preceded in death by his father and mother.
He accepted Christ as his Savior as a young man of 18 and was a faithful member of his church in Iowa and later the Campus Church in Pensacola, Florida, where he served on the Missions board for many years. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather; he was a blessing to his family and will be greatly missed by his coworkers and friends.
He joined the Navy in 1961 and served through 1963. Then, for the next several years, he worked for the Department of Transportation giving eye exams for driver’s licenses. He owned and operated Chappell Real Estate as a farmland broker from the early 1970’s until 1984. He worked for a brief time in Texas in 1984, and then moved back to Iowa. In August 1986, he moved his family to Pensacola, Florida, where he was hired as a carpenter at Pensacola Christian College. He became PCC’s Plant Manager in 1987 and their Director of Facilities and Plant Operations from 2006 until his retirement in 2014.
Funeral services will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 12, at the Mullenix Chapel with Pastor Joshua Burdick officiating. Interment will take place in the Eastern Gate Memorial Gardens.
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