William “Bill” Lee Chapman
October 17, 1942
April 27, 2026
William “Bill” Lee Chapman, 83, of Copan, OK, passed away on Monday, April 27, 2026, at his home. He was born in Atchison, KS, October 17, 1942, to Wiley J “Jack” Chapman and Donna Jean (Jackson) Chapman. He attended school in Atchison, graduating from Atchison High School in 1961.
In November 1961, he was united in marriage with Ramona “Mona” Surritt, and they shared three children, Michael “Mike,” Christopher “Chip,” and Erin. They divorced in 1993.
Bill worked for the alcohol plant and later We-Mac, Mfg. in Atchison. He then moved his family to Independence, KS, in November 1981, to open and manage a new facility for We-Mac in Caney, KS, where he spent many years as a welder working with his sons, Mike and Chip. Bill enjoyed his work there from 1968 until he retired in 1994, also later returning to work at We-Mac again a few additional times over the years and retiring from there for a second time in 2003.
Bill married Rhonda (Steers) Smith in May 1995, and shared over 30 wonderful years together. She survives in the home.
In the late 90’s and early 2000’s, Bill and Rhonda owned a gift shop in Tyro, KS, later relocating it to Caney, KS, and adding a small-engine repair and tire shop.
Bill and Rhonda moved to Colorado in 2003, where he worked with his stepdaughter, Tracy Helton, and her husband, Preston, creating custom welders and metal buildings. They then returned to Southeast Kansas in 2010.
Later in life, he was proud to be the caretaker at Havana Lake in Havana, KS. Beautifying the land and helping the residents filled him with joy. He later moved to Coffeyville, KS, and then to Copan, OK.
Bill had an adventure-filled life. He spent many years farming, both growing up on a farm and helping his family farm once he became an adult. He loved car racing, serving as a driver and on several pit crews through the years. Bill was very intelligent and could fix anything you handed him, make anything someone had an idea for, and design and create something to fix almost any problem. He didn’t like to be still and always wanted to be doing something. Before his illness became too much, you could always see him “tinkering” in his shop and keeping his hands busy with woodworking or working on vehicles and tractors. He was passionate about restoring antiques to their former glory and showcased that as a member of the Caney Valley Antique Tractor Association, displaying them proudly in numerous local shows and parades. He had a knack for finding things others had discarded and repairing and restoring them to make them look and function like new again. In later years, he became passionate about watching the numerous birds, squirrels, and groundhogs eat from the feeders he built off the deck outside their kitchen window. He also enjoyed fishing and other hobbies, including spending time with his children, grandchildren, family, and friends, always teaching others both how to work hard and how to add the right level of orneriness to life.
He is survived and lovingly remembered by his wife Rhonda, of their home in Copan, his former wife, Mona, who remained a close friend, of Caney; his daughter, Erin Wilson and her husband Sloan, of Caney, son Mike and his wife, Gayle, of Independence, KS, stepdaughter Tracy Helton and her husband Preston of Williston, ND, “adopted” son, Alan Coots and his wife April of Caney; grandchildren Hilary Chapman of Independence, KS, Cameron Chapman and wife Estie of Independence, Cory Chapman and wife Emma of Caney, Tyler Helton and fiancée Kenzie Palmateer of Fountain Hills, AZ, Taylor Lewallen and her husband Jake of Olathe, KS, Alexis Tuttle and her partner Eric Burgess of Wichita, KS, Katy Chapman of Tahlequah, OK, Paris Helton and fiancé Jordan Lorimar of Grand Junction, CO, and Rylan Moore and his partner Kaylee Wunder of Lawrence, KS; great-grandchildren Ethan Suppes, Quinnlyn Suppes, Joslyn Chapman, Adalyn Chapman, Cooper Chapman, Evan Lewallen, and Larissa Burgess; siblings Don Chapman and his partner Martha, of Purcell, KS, Ruth Jamvold of Holton, KS, and numerous other nieces, nephews, and friends who were like family. He was preceded in death and reunited with his parents, Jack and Donna Chapman, siblings Harold Ray Chapman, Richard “Dick” Chapman, Marion Chapman; and son, Chip Chapman.
Bill has requested no funeral, to be cremated, and for his ashes to be spread over a farm field, so the family will be privately honoring his wishes and doing that at a later date.