Obituaries
Suzanne Beal Chapman
( March 17, 1940 - August 7, 2016 )
Suzanne Beal Chapman, 76, of Lincolnton, passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 7, 2016, after a three-year battle with cancer.
Her funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 13, 2016, at First United Methodist Church with Rev. David Wyant officiating. Burial will follow in Hollybrook Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 12:30 until 1:45 p.m. on Saturday in the fellowship hall of the church.
Suzanne was born on March 17, 1940, in Lincolnton, daughter of Charles Edward Beal and Mattie Long Beal. She was a 1958 graduate of Lincolnton High School and later graduated Lenoir-Rhyne College.
She married Donald Ray Chapman, also of Lincolnton, in 1959 and raised three children while traveling the world as a US Army Officer’s wife. Suzanne established the family’s home in Korea, Germany, Japan, and Turkey in addition to two years living in North Carolina while her husband served two tours of duty in Vietnam.
Suzanne always enjoyed discovering new cultures and raised her kids to appreciate them as well. She always encouraged “truly discovering” the country we were in by getting off the beaten path and explore beyond the tourist attractions. Suzanne managed to always maintain her sweet southern demeanor while traveling, and was always very proud of her North Carolina roots. She always charmed others with her southern accent and gathered close friends with ease wherever she traveled.
After a brief time in Lincolnton, her husband passed away in 1981. Soon after, Suzanne boldy embarked on a new career with the US Foreign Service. It seems travel was “in her blood.” Her 20-year career began in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1984, and ended in Frankfurt, Germany in 2004 after which she retired to Lincolnton. In between, she served in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Luxembourg, a second time in Germany, Washington DC, and Yemen. Throughout her exciting career in the Foreign Service, including the many dangerous “hardship” assignments in the Middle East, she earned numerous certificates of achievement and recognition for exemplary performance. Suzanne quickly reached the pinnacle of her career by serving for three US Ambassadors. When not working, she walked the beaches of the Arabian Sea collecting shells, took part in camping trips in the sand dunes, toured numerous US Navy aircraft carriers and submarines, and was even catapulted off an aircraft carrier! She also toured Europe extensively, and became quite an accomplished photographer.
All the while, throughout her life, and especially in her career in the Foreign Service, she always traveled with her beloved cats – usually Siamese. They were her constant companions.
Suzanne is survived by her three children: Gregory Allen, Michael Brett, and Karen Elaine Berkheimer; three grandchildren, Taylor Berkheimer, Allison Chapman, and Amy Chapman; brother, Eddie Beal (wife Janet); and sisters, Peggy Sibert (husband Wayne), and Cathy Bayliss (husband Jack).
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association of North Carolina, or the American Cancer Society.
Her funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 13, 2016, at First United Methodist Church with Rev. David Wyant officiating. Burial will follow in Hollybrook Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 12:30 until 1:45 p.m. on Saturday in the fellowship hall of the church.
Suzanne was born on March 17, 1940, in Lincolnton, daughter of Charles Edward Beal and Mattie Long Beal. She was a 1958 graduate of Lincolnton High School and later graduated Lenoir-Rhyne College.
She married Donald Ray Chapman, also of Lincolnton, in 1959 and raised three children while traveling the world as a US Army Officer’s wife. Suzanne established the family’s home in Korea, Germany, Japan, and Turkey in addition to two years living in North Carolina while her husband served two tours of duty in Vietnam.
Suzanne always enjoyed discovering new cultures and raised her kids to appreciate them as well. She always encouraged “truly discovering” the country we were in by getting off the beaten path and explore beyond the tourist attractions. Suzanne managed to always maintain her sweet southern demeanor while traveling, and was always very proud of her North Carolina roots. She always charmed others with her southern accent and gathered close friends with ease wherever she traveled.
After a brief time in Lincolnton, her husband passed away in 1981. Soon after, Suzanne boldy embarked on a new career with the US Foreign Service. It seems travel was “in her blood.” Her 20-year career began in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1984, and ended in Frankfurt, Germany in 2004 after which she retired to Lincolnton. In between, she served in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Luxembourg, a second time in Germany, Washington DC, and Yemen. Throughout her exciting career in the Foreign Service, including the many dangerous “hardship” assignments in the Middle East, she earned numerous certificates of achievement and recognition for exemplary performance. Suzanne quickly reached the pinnacle of her career by serving for three US Ambassadors. When not working, she walked the beaches of the Arabian Sea collecting shells, took part in camping trips in the sand dunes, toured numerous US Navy aircraft carriers and submarines, and was even catapulted off an aircraft carrier! She also toured Europe extensively, and became quite an accomplished photographer.
All the while, throughout her life, and especially in her career in the Foreign Service, she always traveled with her beloved cats – usually Siamese. They were her constant companions.
Suzanne is survived by her three children: Gregory Allen, Michael Brett, and Karen Elaine Berkheimer; three grandchildren, Taylor Berkheimer, Allison Chapman, and Amy Chapman; brother, Eddie Beal (wife Janet); and sisters, Peggy Sibert (husband Wayne), and Cathy Bayliss (husband Jack).
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association of North Carolina, or the American Cancer Society.
Posted on 10 Aug 2016
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125 Dave Warlick Drive
Lincolnton, NC 28092
704/735-2521