Joseph I. Chapman, Jr.

We celebrate the life of Joseph Ignatius Chapman, Jr. born April 23, 1939, in Estill, South Carolina and died February 21, 2022, surrounded by his loving children.

He is survived by his sister Anita Wilkins and her husband Jim of Lake Worth, Florida; his daughter Theresa Younis and her husband William of Bluffton, SC; his daughter Sandra Quigley and her husband Desmond of Atlanta, GA; his daughter Diane Carroll and her husband, James of Williamsburg, VA; and his son Michael Chapman and his wife Traci of Bluffton, SC; and four grandchildren, Matt Chapman, Alex Carroll, Catie Quigley, and Jack Quigley.

Joe is predeceased by his parents Joseph and Evelyn Chapman, and by his wife of 60 years, Kathleen McCollum Chapman.

Joe was born on Groton Plantation and graduated from Estill High School. After earning a Bachelor of Science in horticulture from Clemson University he became the third generation to manage Groton Plantation owned by the Winthrop Family.   In 1981, he accepted a position with Southern Railway managing Brosnan Forest in Dorchester, South Carolina, and other Norfolk Southern Railway properties.  He retired in 2000 to his beloved Oak Forest, in Bluffton, South Carolina.

He was a protector and promoter of the outdoors and its wildlife. He was a commissioned statewide Deputy Law Enforcement Officer with South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for over 40 years. He served on the South Carolina Game and Fish Advisory Board, significantly impacting laws related to private lands. He was honored by the Midlands Chapter of Quail Unlimited with the Havilah Babcock Award.

He collaborated with Ducks Unlimited to enter Oak Forest into a conservation easement. Together, with his friend, the late Stephen Tobias, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Norfolk Southern Railroad, he initiated the donation of Brosnan Forest property to a conservation easement ensuring all lands were safeguarded in perpetuity. He was a custodian of the long leaf pine forest. He collaborated with Clemson, the SC Department of Natural Resources and the US Fish & Wildlife Service to provide a protected habitat and safe harbor for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker culminating in a “safe harbor” agreement.

Joe was blessed with faithful friends who shared his love of the outdoors and wildlife. He was a passionate advocate of land conservation and wildlife management. He will be missed beyond measure, but he will live on in the hearts and lives of all those who loved and learned from him.

Visitation is Saturday, February 26, 10AM – Noon followed by a Memorial Service at 12:30 for those friends that may wish to attend.  Both events will be held at the Sauls Funeral Home Outdoor Pavilion at 90 Simmonsville Road, Bluffton. It would be helpful if all would bring an outdoor chair for your comfort and to maintain social distancing. The service will be live streamed.

The Chapman family values our family, friends, and members of the parish. We regret that due to the COVID-19 pandemic we will not receive friends at a reception or in our home following the funeral.

There will be a private Rite of Committal in the family cemetery.

Sauls Funeral Home is assisting the family.

In lieu of flowers, donations and memorial gifts may be made to St. Gregory The Great Catholic Church, 31 St. Gregory Drive, Bluffton, SC 29909. The Wounded Warrior Project, or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.