MARY DUTY WYATT CHAPMAN

Arvord M. Abernethy
The Hamilton Herald-News       7 March, 1991

Today, we go tipping our hats to a school teacher who was a native of Kyle, Texas, down in Hays County.  She is Mrs. Ned "Mary" Chapman.

Mary was born to Clay and Daisy Duty Wyatt at Kyle on August 30, 1907.  Her father was a mail carrier there at Kyle just as Ned's father was here at Gatesville.

Her life was like that of the average girl growing up in a relatively small town in an agricultural section.  She did all her public school there in Kyle, graduating in 1925.  Since Kyle is near San Marcos, she attended Southwest Texas State University for two long terms and two summer terms before beginning her teaching career.

Mary's first teaching was at Copeland, a German community there in Williamson County.  The next year, Mary began a three year hitch of teaching there at San Marcos Baptist Academy.  The Great Depression was on and it began to make its result felt in private schools.  One of the ways for a school to cut its expenses was to reduce its faculty and since Mary was a Methodist in a Baptist school, she felt that she would be one of the first to go.

As good fortune would have it, one night Mary received a call from Gatesville asking if she could come and teach in their schools.  She accepted and came and taught the second grade for two years.  This move resulted in the mail carrier's daughter from Kyle meeting the mail carrier's son of Gatesville, Ned Chapman, by name.  Ned often teasingly told Mary that the biggest mistake that she ever made was coming to Gatesville and meeting him.

After two years at Gatesville, Mary returned to Southwest Texas State University and received her degree in 1933.  She had made homemaking one of her main studies, so she returned to Kyle and taught homemaking there for two years.

Needless to say, correspondence between Mary and Ned had never ceased so on February 15, 1935, they were married there in the family home in Kyle.

Ned was then manager of Perry Brothers here in Hamilton, so thus Mary began her life as a Hamiltonian.  With both their fathers in the United States mail service, Ned thought that it would be a fine occupation, so he put in his application.  He was soon offered a position in a mail terminal in Fort Worth that handled all kinds whether it be rail, air, or overseas.

Mary applied for a teaching position there in Fort Worth, but the only place open just then was teaching art and that was completely out of her line.  She then applied at Delta Airlines and was placed in the reservation department.  This worked out just right as Ned's work was at the same terminal.

While working there in 1949, Ned received a call from Harry Boynton, the Hamilton Postmaster, that there was an opening in the office here in Hamilton and offered him the place which he accepted.

The Chapmans returned to Hamilton to make their permanent home.  Mary began her teaching in the elementary grades and continued until her retirement in 1971 rounded out 33 years in the classroom.

Ned began his work there at the post office, and we remember the warm, courteous smile he always had.  This was brought to an immediate end in 1968, when he had a severe stroke that affected his left side, especially his left arm and hand.  This didn't completely stop Ned from enjoying life and when you would see him downtown, he would still have that warm, jovial smile.  This too had to end with his passing on September 11, 1990.

Mary and Ned were regular and active worshippers in the First United Methodist Church here in Hamilton.

The story of the Chapmans would not be complete without telling of their two sons they reared along with their other work.  Carl was born in 1939 and has been a teacher in Panama for over 20 years.  About once a year, his wife and son return to Hamilton for a visit.

Their other son is David, who was born in 1941, and is an engineer with Texas Utilities in Dallas.  The David Chapmans have one daughter and a son, and now the daughter has given Mary a great grandson to rejoice over.

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OBITUARY

MRS. CHAPMAN

The Hamilton Herald-News    10/03/1996

Mary Chapman, 89, died Thursday, September 26, at Hamilton General Hospital.  Services were Sunday, Sept. 29, at Riley Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. John Beckling officiating.  Burial was in Oakwood Cemetery.  

Mrs. Chapman was born August 30, 1907, in Kyle, the daughter of Henry Clay and Daisey Duty Wyatt.  She was married to Ned Pierson Chapman on Feb. 15, 1935, in Kyle.  He preceded her in death on Sept. 11, 1990.

She was a school teacher and a member of the Eastern Star, Retired Teachers Association, and First United Methodist Church.  She had lived in Hamilton for 48 years.

Survivors include two sons, Clay Henry Chapman and is wife Linda of the Republic of Panama and David Ned Chapman and his wife Gayle of ...; two sisters, Eva Speckels of ... and Margaret Speckels of ...; a brother, Clay Wyatt of ...; three grandchildren, Lynn  Chapman Glover, Carlton Chapman, and Carlos Chapman and four great grandchildren: Flynn, Shelby, and Brady Glover and Joseph Chapman.

Pallbearers were Carl Rice Embrey, Joe Dalton, Dale Sills, Bob Gautier, David Lengefeld, Bill Barkley, and Bill Coats.

Honorary pallbearers were Kirby Warren, Lee Crowley, and Vernon Gromatzky.

ACROSS THE FENCE