Sharlene Ruth (nee Stone) Chapman, 84, of Whitewater, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully at Agrace Hospice on September 11, 2026.
Born in Whitewater to Ralph Edward Stone and Eleanor Bernice (nee Jacobs) Stone. Sharlene graduated from Whitewater High School in 1961; she attended vocational secretarial school and began working as a blueprint secretary at Creamery Package in Fort Atkinson. It was there that she met the love of her life, design engineer George Chapman. Sharlene quickly captured his heart—delivering morning pastries and always saving George’s favorite for him, a sweet gesture that earned her the lifelong nickname “Sweets.”
Sharlene and George were married at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Whitewater on June 20, 1964. She served as the Register of Deeds for Jefferson County until 1967, when she chose to devote her life full-time to raising her family.
Family was everything to Sharlene. She was the ultimate mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who gave endlessly to those she loved. She was kind to everyone and had a gift of making people feel genuinely special.
Sharlene embraced life with tireless energy and simple and joyful traditions grounded in faith and love. Sharlene’s feet were always moving whenever music was playing. She and George routinely lit up the floor at the Whitewater American Legion Hall. Active to her core, she loved fishing, biking, swimming, water aerobics, and paddleboarding right up into her final months. She especially adored playing sports and games with her grandchildren, teaching them to tie their shoes, helping them learn to ride bikes, encouraging them, and simply being their devoted grandma.
Sharlene was preceded in death by her beloved husband, George Earl Chapman, and her sisters, Shirley (John) Hapka and Sharon (Tony) Hapka.
She is survived by her four children: George Michael (Rhonda) Chapman, DeAnna (Brian) Brunner, Mary (Lance) Berg, and Gina (Jim) Foucault.
She also leaves behind eight grandchildren: Nicholas (Katie) Chapman, Mikhayla (Collin) Clayton, Logan (LaVan) Glenn, George Ethan Chapman, Anna (Nate) Hayworth, Sara Foucault, Jonathan (Hailey) Brunner, and Sierra (Mathew) Lucht; as well as eight great-grandchildren: Avi, Atlee, and Lindy Glenn, Ryder, Lily, and Dawson Chapman, and Calvin and Miles Hayworth.
In addition to Sharlene’s immediate family, she leaves behind a large and loving community of extended relatives and friends who will miss her presence dearly.
Her warmth, generous spirit, and unwavering devotion to her family will be deeply missed. In accordance with Sharlene’s wishes, her family will host a Mass at St. Patrick Catholic Church – Whitewater, WI on Friday, October 23, 2026 at 3:00 pm.
Nitardy Funeral Home – Whitewater has been entrusted with Sharlene’s care.
