06/10/2026
It's taken me a while, coming to terms with the loss of my uncle Al. He was in my life from a young age and it was clear he adored us. Til the mid 90's he lived in Columbia, worked at Boone Hospital and lived off William Street, at the end of the gravel cul de sac. He always grew a vegetable garden and canned vegetable soup starter. He recorded cable TV cartoons and Christmas specials for us onto VHS tapes. Everything he cooked was touched by God. One simply never missed a bowl of his vegetable beef stew the night before Thanksgiving. His ham and beans always slapped.
The dude lived in a hand built cabin on his mom's land, the core of which was my grandfathers one room tiny home, which he had moved to the property. I never met grandpa Chapman, he was a migrant farm worker and somewhat of a vagrant in his later life. He taught Al how to jump on trains in Marshall and travel to other cities like Topeka. Al had an extensive music collection on vinyl and CD's.
Family tradition was sacred to Al. As his health and mobility declined, we saw less and less of him. You had to hang with him at the cabin, which features a woodstove and decades of cigar smoke. We miss him dearly, he was the youngest of seven. He left me a gorgeous piece in the last picture, it's by , a visionary artist based in Hawaii. I will cherish it forever in his memory. He's survived by two sons, three sisters, two brothers, nine nieces and nephews, six great nieces and nephews. Rest in peace Al, you got to join the party in the sky.
Zan Allen Chapman
July 18, 1956 — March 21, 2026
Leslie, Arkansas
