Obituary of Robert G. Chapman

Cocoa resident Robert G. Chapman, age 77, passed away on Saturday, July 7, 2018 after a brief illness. Born and raised in Birmingham, AL, Bob joined the Alabama National Guard at 15. Two years later, he joined the Navy as a Quartermaster. Because of the Cuban Missile Crisis, he served his fifth year in the Navy aboard a ship stationed off the shores of Cuba. He then joined the Air Force, earning the Bronze Star in Vietnam where he served with the Red Horse combat engineers. He was later awarded disabled veterans benefits due to his exposure to Agent Orange. After retirement, he worked in property management, as a therapeutic foster parent, and for several hardware stores. He taught gardening classes, dog obedience training, and hurricane preparedness classes to the public. He loved to garden, train dogs, and visit his friends over coffee. He knew no strangers and strangers knew him as a friend. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Gail Walters, and his children from his first marriage, Timothy G. Chapman and Cherri Stevens Dunn, and three grandchildren. Robert will be laid to rest at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery at a later date.