Jeffery Carl Chapman

Jeffery Carl Chapman was born in Eugene, Oregon on August 14th, 1953. He passed away peacefully at his home in Burlington, WA on July 9th, 2026. He was preceded in death by his dad, mom and sister. He leaves behind his wife of 47 years, Kathy. Daughters: Samantha, Brittney and Erica (Justin). Grandchildren: Savannah, Scarlett and Freddie Carl.

Jeff spent his youth in Eugene, OR where he graduated from Willamette High School in 1971 and from Lane County Community College with his A.A. When he wasn’t going to school or later working night shifts at the local Rock Crusher, he spent his free time racing the Motocross Circuit around Oregon, Idaho and Washington. He earned many medals, broken bones and scars throughout his racing years. Stories of his dirt biking days would regularly amaze his girls as he shared memories over dinner conversation or as nighttime stories. On July 7th, 1979, he and Kathy were married in Chicago, IL. They spent their honeymoon road tripping from Illinois back to Eugene, OR. In 1981 he and Kathy moved to Mount Vernon, WA where he began working as the upholsterer for Dally’s Auto Body. Then in 1993 he opened his own upholstery business “Chapman’s Top and Upholstery” in Mount Vernon. He remained the one-man-band at the Shop until he shut the doors in 2025. If you stepped into his shop you were typically treated to a great conversation about hunting, fishing, or life in general. Jeff held a lot of pride in his work and it shined through with every project he sent out the door. Designing custom boat tops and refurbishing classic car interiors did not come with a set of instructions. It took a great deal of ingenuity and patience to get each project to meet his standards (along with the occasional swear word)!

He spent a great deal of his free time hunting elk, deer and ducks in the Pacific Northwest. He also loved fishing of all kinds. Fishing on or along the Skagit River was a regular weekend activity as well as before work or after work. Many Saturday mornings were spent dragging his daughters to Youngs Bar for some “plunking”. When he returned home from his fishing trips, he would regularly amuse his girls by lining up the fish on the lawn so he could compare, side-by-side, which fish was bigger than each kid. Jeff was known as “Canvas Man” on the CB channels used before cell phones. Jeff later discovered the ease and convenience of Charter Boat fishing out of Westport. He and Kathy spent many years taking vacations out to Westport to fish as much as they could, trying out every available charter boat Westport had to offer (the Discovery crew being their favorite!).

In 1997 Jeff bought an old Yamaha dirt bike so he could more easily scout out fall hunting areas. This dirt bike quickly reignited his passion for riding. It wasn’t long before he was taking is youngest daughter (Erica) out for regular rides throughout Walker Valley on the front of his dirtbike (which they eventually named “Critter”). It was just a matter of time until all his girls had their own bikes, and they traversed the Walker Valley trails on a weekly basis. As a family they visited the Desert 100 race for 10 years in a row, completing the Family Poker Run. Their riding group was known as “Team Pink”, with Jeff as the founder. Jeff was also a lover of black power guns. He belonged to the Skagit Muzzle Loaders.

Pranks were a regular with Jeff: fish heads on garage door handles, “bad cows,” “getting sleeched”, and many more. Humor was a constant in his life all the way up until the end. Being the master that he was with canvas and his eye for innovation, Jeff would customize basically everything he got his hands on. He leaves behind many customized items for his loved ones to enjoy. Jeff also applied his skills to his daughters’ toys, upgrading barbies for humor’s sake (including “Freida Field Goal” and “Big Buck Barbie” to name a few).

Jeff also enjoyed gardening. Building a large hut in his backyard dubbed “the pepper hut” where he grew copious amounts of peppers and tomatoes. He also loved the challenge of growing strong stock begonias. A whisky barrel of which were yearly grown on his front porch.

Even if you didn’t personally know Jeff, you likely saw his van driving around town. He loved his van! It is a 1979 grey Chevy panel van which he proudly bought off the show room floor and drove daily up until his passing. This van hosted many side door happy hours and family camping trips. It was customized inside and out. Complete with pleated interior walls, pull-down beds and an attached pop out which hosted many gatherings.

Jeff leaves behind a legacy that his family will cherish forever. Gone, but never forgotten!

The family will host a Celebration of Life with a date to be announced.