Visitation for Martha Susan Smith Chapman will be from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., on Saturday, September 21, 2024, at Riverwood Family with interment in Riverwood Memorial Park immediately following.
Mrs. Chapman, 74, passed away on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, after a five-year long battle with cancer. She was born on January 26, 1950, in Clarksdale, MS, to M.P. Smith, Sr. and Martha Frances Conley Smith.
While attending the University of Mississippi, Susan met her husband, Kendall Chapman, and the couple was married on January 23, 1972, at the Oxford-University United Methodist Church. After graduation, Susan and Ken moved to Natchez where they worked for the Natchez School District for four years.
In July 1976, they moved to Brookhaven where Susan began her 32-year career with the Brookhaven School District. She taught 7th grade English and worked as the school librarian at Lipsey Middle School before being appointed as the assistant principal at Alexander Jr. High School in 1983. Susan transitioned to Brookhaven High School in 1996 as assistant principal and then as the director of the Career-Technical Center in 1998. In 2002, she became the first female principal of Brookhaven High School. During her time at the high school, the football and baseball teams won state championships, the Science Bowl team received state recognition, and the cheerleading squad won a national title. She retired from the Brookhaven School District in 2008.
She is preceded in death by her parents. Susan is survived by her husband of over 52 years; her son James Conley Chapman (Bonnie) of Jackson, and her daughter Martha Elizabeth Chapman Simmons (Byron) of Brandon; three grandchildren, James Sullivan Chapman, Audrey Summers Chapman, and Sterling Fox Simmons; and her brother M.P. Smith, Jr., of Clinton. She is also survived by her best friend, Rosemary Britt.
The family would like to thank Susan's friends for their support and prayers. Also, the family would like to thank Dr. Tammy Young and the Jackson Oncology Associates medical staff at the Hederman Cancer Center for their compassionate care of Susan. They will never know how much Susan appreciated their hard work, kindness, and friendship. Additional thanks to Dr. Karen Cole, Dr. Philip Ley, Dr. Rebecca Moulder, Dr. Maria G. Rappai, and Dr. Russell Young.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.
