On May 14, 2019, surrounded by love, Marie E. Parry Chapman, 97, peacefully started her next adventure. She lived a life full of adventure that began on November 8, 1921 in Pennsauken, NJ.

The youngest of three children born to Florence and Charles Parry, she survived the hardships of the Great Depression and went on to earn an RN from Temple University in 1942. During the war, she was a charge nurse at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NYC. During a train trip home to NJ to visit her parents, she and a group of girlfriends bumped into a group of GIs on R&R. Marie put her packages on the seat next to her to prevent any of the soldiers from sitting there, but still, one of them announced that he would marry her. Wilson Chapman (Kay to his family) did just that, on June 8, 1944. Marie and Kay built a home in Marlton, NJ and raised four children; Susan (Ron), David (Rita), Carol (Mike), and Jan. Together they enjoyed gardening, camping, travel, and square dancing until Kay's death in 1987.

Marie was kind, intelligent, independent, funny, and feisty. She fostered curiosity and a love of reading in all her children. She was patient and a respectful listener. To know her was to love her.

In later years, Marie moved to Lancaster, PA to be near her daughter, Jan. She continued traveling by RV well into her 80s, wintering in Melbourne, FL.

She is survived by her older sister, Virginia Van Der Flugt-Parry of the Netherlands; her children; a slew of grands and great-grands, and two beloved cats. She was preceded in death by her sister Irene Merkle. Her daughter Jan and granddaughter Caitlin are humbled by the excellent and compassionate care provided by the nurses of Compassionate Care Hospice, and by her caregivers: Lori, Inna, Jill, Sara, Sharon, and Dawn.

The family is planning a private celebration of Marie's life. She will be interred next to her husband in Georgia. Arrangements entrusted to Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home & Crematory, 441 N. George St., Millersville, PA 17551. 717-872-5041