Chapin McCabe
Chapin McCabe

Obituary of Chapin E McCabe

Our beloved father, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle, great uncle, neighbor, friend, mentor and forever rascal Chapin Eddy McCabe passed away peacefully on December 31, 2019 at 96 years of age at his daughter Connie’s home in Minneapolis.  Chape was one of the last of his generation, and his passing marks a decade and an era that will not be forgotten. 

 

Everyone has a story of Chape, Mac, Boompa.  No matter what you called him or however you knew him, you remember laughter, teasing, storytelling and thoughtful opinions reflecting a full life, well-lived.  Chape’s family meant the world to him, from our early family vacations at Watervale in Michigan to multiple trips around the country visiting his kids and joining special occasions for his nieces and nephews.  He loved being surrounded by those he loved, supporting our individuality while modeling so well the important role of family in our lives.

 

Chape’s story began in Evanston, Illinois. He was the youngest of four children, son of a successful self-made man in the coal brokerage business. Chape’s mother, a registered descendant from the Mayflower passage, was a practicing nurse.  His parents were born in 1883 and 1884, respectively. Let that sink in as you consider the sweep of cultural change that Chape experienced in his lifetime. This may help explain his lifelong love of reading history and biographies.  

 

Chape was active in school sports and the local YMCA, highlighted by summer canoe trips to Canada as a teen.  With prohibition and the Great Depression as a backdrop, Chape developed the character, resolve and sense of humor that would serve him well the rest of his life.  To the end, Chape spoke fondly of his many escapades with siblings and childhood friends in Evanston. After starting Lawrence College in 1941, Chape enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in December, 1942, serving in the Pacific and in China until December, 1946.  He returned to Lawrence in 1947 at age 23, met Frances (Nan) Shields on a blind date the same year, and they married in 1948. Chape had already started working in sales for Chase Bag Company, and the newlyweds soon began their family adventures with stops in Oneonta, New York (Carol, 1949), Pittsburgh (Connie, 1951), and Bakersfield, California (Charley 1953) before finally settling in Glen Ellyn, Illinois in 1956 where they would spend the next thirty years.  

 

Chape’s Glen Ellyn years were marked by hard work and family fun.  Assigning nicknames for his kids like Senator, Peanut and Dudley (you guess who was who), Chape built a family where nobody could take themselves too seriously.  While tumultuous events of the 1950s and 1960s were challenging accepted norms and values, Nan and Chape provided a principled, solid and loving family foundation for mid-century life.  Their patience, support, and unconditional love set a standard that still holds value.  

 

Chape retired as Chicago Sales Manager for Chase in 1986 after nearly 40 years with the same company.  Over the next twenty years, he and his beloved Nan traveled extensively on tours, cruises, and shared outings with friends from around the country.  Ports of call included Ireland, Norway, England, Alaska, the Columbia Gorge, St. Lawrence Seaway, Inland Waterway of South Carolina and Florida, Nova Scotia, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Sea of Cortez, Bermuda and the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and much to Nan’s chagrin, the Panama Canal, twice.  As best we can count, Nan and Chape explored more than twenty-three destinations in those twenty years, not including numerous excursions to visit family or their beloved Watervale in all seasons. 

 

Chape and Nan resettled in Lake Bluff, Illinois in 1987, a return to Nan’s hometown roots.  They thoroughly enjoyed the next 26 years in the Lake Bluff area, forming new friendships and actively volunteering in the community.  In 2013 they moved to Minneapolis to be closer to daughter Connie and her family. After Nan’s passing in 2014, Chape adapted to the loss of his loving partner of sixty-six years by building new friendships and creating new routines.  Whether riding the recumbent stationary bike, sharing a nightly toast of Southern Comfort with his “club”, offering well-informed opinions on politics and the stock market, or continuing his passion for reading, Chape’s positive spirit endured even as his health and mobility declined.      

 

All who knew Chape remember his sense of humor, and they also know that he could take a ribbing as well as he could dish it out.  This character with character was himself to the end, as demonstrated by these words from staff member Mary Carlson from the Waters on 50th, his residence for his last 5 years: 

Our community will miss this great gentleman in so many ways – for his kindness and the way he engaged us in witty conversation, always making sure to call us by name – for his intellect, warmth, positive nature and hopeful spirit. For all these reasons and more Chape was loved by many residents and team members in our community.  We were fortunate over the past four plus years to have had a glimpse into his amazing life and the family that he loved so dearly.  

 

Chape was preceded in death by his parents, Laura Eddy and John Nelson McCabe, brothers John Nelson, Jr. and Newell Eddy, sister Marianna Johnson, daughter Carol McCabe Defenbau, beloved wife Frances (Nan) Shields McCabe, and dear friends too numerous to list.  

 

He is survived by children Constance McCabe Pikala (James) and Charles Nelson McCabe (Cindy), nine grandchildren, three great grandchildren, fourteen nieces and nephews, and many great-nieces and nephews.  It is not an exaggeration to say that Chape influenced all of these lives in a significant and lasting way. Thank you, Chape, Dad, Boompa, for your love and dedicated service to country, family, and community.     

Donations in Chape's memory may be made to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum  arboretum.umn.edu

 

A Memorial Tree was planted for Chapin
We are deeply sorry for your loss ~ the staff at Cremation Society of Minnesota
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