11/22/46 - 9/24/11
November 22, 1946 - September 24, 2011
Thomas C. Chapman lost his battle with pancreatic cancer just under two months shy of his 65th birthday.
Tom was born in Michigan and grew up in a house in Monroe, where his closest neighbor lived a mile away. His ambition led him to Michigan State University where he learned all about screenwriting and the entertainment industry and met many friends he kept for his whole life. Shortly after college, Tom did all sorts of things, including working as a traveling mime and working in Los Angeles, Florida, and Utah. Many cross-country trips were had. Eventually, the country boy ended up in Los Angeles for good.
In Los Angeles, Tom made his dreams come true, working as a screenwriter and producer for both feature films and television over the decades. Truth be told, as many of you know from his occasional standup bouts, his true love was comedy. More than anything, he enjoyed making others laugh.
In March 2011, Tom received the unfortunate news that he had stage three pancreatic cancer. Over the ensuing six months, he fought hard against the disease and received chemotherapy treatment. He named his tumor Gaddhafi, and we all followed the happenings in Libya very closely. During that time, he was aided greatly by his friends. In particular, Karen and David O'Malley, Jim and Rebecca Conway, and Marc and Eva McCulloch went beyond what could ever be expected from friends or family.
In the weeks before his passing, Tom's condition worsened unexpectedly. In that short time, Tom came to peace with his fate. He wanted all to know that he was ready and he was not afraid - but that he will miss all of those he loves. He was profuse in his thankfulness and his heart was full of love.
Tom is survived by many of us who love him, including his family (his daughter Kelly, his former wife Debra and her husband Charles and their son Ben, his stepchildren Terry and Sadie, his sister Judy and her family, his brother Roy and his family) and wonderful friends that were also his family (from Monroe to Michigan State to Sunn Classic to the Cantina Crew and everyone in between).
