Billie Ann Mann Chapin
Billie Ann Mann Chapin passed away in her home in Katy, Texas, Saturday November 6, 2021.
She was five days from her 90th birthday. She was born on November 11,1931, in Shreveport, the oldest child of William H. and Mary K. Mann. Her family relocated to California in her youth.
She graduated Sweetwater High School in 1949 and met and married Jay B. Chapin in 1950. They moved to many places as they raised their family and were inseparable until his untimely death in 1984. Mother to 4, Carol, Richard, Steven and Sharon, grandmother (Mimi) of 3, Christina, Robin and Jessica and great-grandmother of 2, William and Ethan, family was the center of her life.
Ann, as she was known in her early life, was full of energy and thirsted for knowledge. She loved to travel and often combined the two passions. As the family traveled across the country and the world, every point of interest was explored or described along the way. She realized a lifelong dream and became a nurse in 1972. She earned her BSN from American University in 1983, and her MSN from Texas Women’s University in 1990.
She was the epitome of a professional nurse and was recognized by many organizations, among her awards were Nurse of the Year in Louisiana, Who’s Who in American Nursing and Nurses to Watch. She was an active member of Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society of Nursing, Ruston District Nurses Association, the Louisiana Nurses Association and the American Nurses Association during her career.
She touched many lives preparing the next generation of nurses at Northeast Louisiana University and Louisiana Tech University. A doctor once described her in this way, “If you look in the dictionary for the definition of a nurse, it is her picture that appears.”
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Jay; daughter, Carol; and son, Steven.
She is survived by her brother, James B. Mann (wife Suzanne); son, Richard J. Chapin and his family (wife Jenny, daughters Christina and Robin); daughter, Sharon Chapin McKenzie and her family (husband Scott and daughter Jessica).
All that were touched by her personally or professionally know how much love and compassion she embodied. She was a calm in any storm and the steadfast rock of the family.
A memorial service will be held at Schmidt Funeral Home, 1344 W. Grand Pkwy. South Katy, Texas, Saturday November 13, at 3 p.m. with visitation starting at 2 p.m. Internment will be at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum in San Diego at a future date.
In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital are requested.
