Obituary of Denise Catharine Chapman

In Loving Memory

Denise Chapman

December 14, 1952 ~ December 21, 2023

Born in Stettler, Alberta on December 14, 1952 and passed away in Stettler on December 21, 2023 at the age of 71.

Denise was born to Karl and Dora Reinbold and grew up on a farm ten miles southwest of Stettler with her eight brothers and sisters. She was known as a shy, smart, caring girl who loved her family dearly. It was here where she developed the strong work ethic she would carry throughout her life working alongside her mother with farm chores, meals and gardening. She attended school in Stettler, and worked at the A&W as a teenager and the Alberta Treasury Branch in her early twenties. 

Married at the age of 21, Denise moved to the farm north of Stettler to start a new chapter where she had some of her happiest years.  It was a good time with all the other young families also growing up in the community.  She took pride year round in everything from the care of purebred cows to having a presentable yard and making the most out of the old farmhouse.  Never materialistic, she was always happy with the simple things in life as she was especially proud of her trees, always reminding us she hand planted and weeded 2500 trees while pregnant with Silas.  Until she couldn’t, she would still drive up to visit those trees and the yard as much as she could.

It was here where she raised the joys of her life.  Silas William was born in May of 1975, Kyle Austin in September of 1977 and Darien Denise in March of 1982.  While raising her kids, she went back to work at the bank for another twenty years where her positive attitude fostered many long term friendships with coworkers and customers alike.  As a single parent can attest to, it is not easy to work full time, run a farm and raise kids; yet her kids always came first and she was unwavering in her commitment to provide the best she could with what she had to give.      

Later on Denise was able to purchase her own home in Stettler, and later an acreage just south of town.  She took pride in ownership always having blooming flower beds, a big garden and a lot of lawn.  Another passion was always having a good Border Collie dog beside her. After her tenure at the bank, Denise worked at the grain elevator for several years.  She enjoyed getting back into agriculture, but her late passion for natural health developed when she began working at the Elm Tree Health Food Store in Stettler. 

She took great pride in the “Store” and would later purchase it in its entirety and run it for fourteen years with Darien by her side.  Denise excelled in helping others through the store and offering products and knowledge beyond commercialized pharmaceuticals.  Although her store was a sense of great accomplishment for Denise, she sensed she was ready to slow down after many years of hard work and entered retirement proud of her accomplishments and that she did it on her own terms.

Denise’s chapter as “Grandma” began in 2009 with the birth of granddaughter Sophia. A few years after that came Lena and four years later River. Denise was an active and loving grandma, making many special memories with her girls. Bodie was born just three short years ago and she was very proud of her little grandson.

Through the years, Darien was a best friend for Denise, and they took many trips to the mountains and the lake. However, that was as far as she ever wanted to go, happiest to be at home.  To her, she was content knowing she was close to the phone if Silas needed to move equipment between fields, or if Kyle or Darien needed a grandmother to watch kids.  Even during her late struggle with illness, her true mothers’ intuition came forth if she heard anything resembling a sneeze from one of her adult kids, immediately forgetting her own predicament to ask what is wrong and to get home and take care of yourself.  She was always quietly brave, resilient and never sought attention.     

Denise masterfully met her calling on earth with grace.  She emulated her mother being silently strong and never one to complain.  She was passionate about her family, her close friends, her farm life, her health food business, her three kids and four grandkids, and her religion. 

In her own words, “You know it’s worth being a mother when you travel to your son’s hockey game and your adult son sneaks a look up in the stands to give you a small smile and wave.  And when your son stops in on a snowy night to bring you ice cream and a movie because he wants to make sure you’re ok.  Or your daughter calls just to chit chat and find out how your day went.  My greatest happiness in life are my three kids”. (Denise Chapman)

Thank you, Denise, may you rest in peace.

Denise is survived by her children:  Silas Chapman (Danielle), Kyle Chapman (Amanda) and Darien Chapman (Ryan); grandchildren: Sophia, Lena, River and Bodie; siblings:  Joan Reinbold, Audrey Keast, Marilyn (Henry) Postma, Christine (Darren) Reinbold, Richard (Sue) Reinbold, Fred (Denise) Reinbold, and Maurice (Colleen) Reinbold; as well as many nieces, nephews and friends.

Denise is predeceased by her parents Karl and Dora Reinbold; sister Irene Larsen and granddaughter Emma Chapman.

Funeral Service

Thursday, January 4, 2024 11:00 A.M.

Christ-King Catholic Church

Memorial Donations in memory of Denise may be made to a charity of your choice.