Many of you have now heard the sorrowful news of John Chappel’s passing. It is shocking, hard to wrap one’s brain around, an incredible loss.
If you are just finding out as you read this, I’m sorry that you didn’t hear it verbally from a trusted friend or colleague. And I’m glad you know now. You can read a beautiful tribute to John and more details here.
Anyone who knew John at all, and especially those who knew him well, understands how difficult it is to adequately describe his contributions to the world, and his unique character, perspective, larger than life personality, humor, and passion. (Not to mention his vocabulary. I mean, wow, right?)
So we’re going to let this precious video show you of all of the above. In 5 minutes it seems to capture so much of who he was and what he cared about, and includes a story that he said few had heard – that is, before I asked him to share it with 400 people. And now the world.
John – We will honor your life by celebrating it in a thousand individual ways – by knowing exactly what you would say in certain moments, laughing at what you would find hilarious, walking on the beach, teaching, advocating, like you did, for those who cannot advocate for themselves, or using a word like ‘penultimate’ in a sentence at least once a week…and more.
We are with you friend. We’ll do our best to carry the torch for babies, children, and families with the level of dedication you modeled relentlessly for us all. We hold you in light.
