Dr. James Andrew Chapman

Dr. James Andrew Chapman was born Dec. 17, 1943 to Lucille and Felix H. Chapman in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He passed away peacefully at home in Ardmore, Oklahoma, on Oct. 1, 2021, after a battle with Parkinson's disease. Jimmy spent his entire childhood on his grandparents' dairy farm near the Saint Lawrence River in Heuvelton, New York. He was one of those people who really did walk to school three miles in the snow to a one-room schoolhouse during the harsh New York winter months. One of the highlights of Jimmy's youth was his short- lived vocal career entertaining local dance hall patrons while standing on a milk crate playing his ukulele–a talent that even earned him a coveted spot on a local radio show.
Some of Jimmy's many nicknames used by friends and family are "Jimmy with a Y", "Jimmie with an IE", "Rat", "Chapman", "Doc", "Disco Doc", "JC", "JC and the Boys" and "Jimothy".
After graduating from Heuvelton Central High School at the age of 16 in June 1960, Jimmy packed his belongings into a cardboard suitcase and hopped aboard a bus to return to Oklahoma where he had relatives. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma School of X- Ray Technology in 1963 and furthered his education at East Central University until 1967 when he left upon early acceptance into the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. He worked as an X-ray technician until graduating from med school in June 1971.
Jimmy completed his residency in diagnostic radiology at Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Temple, Texas and then moved to Ardmore, Oklahoma in 1975 to start his lifelong practice of radiology at Ardmore Memorial Hospital. He spent most of his career by himself reading x-rays and talking into a Dictaphone, which may seem boring and lonely to some. However, to thousands of others, it meant their lives were saved. He was very passionate about the science of radiology and loved every minute of his 41-year career–especially teaching others. He retired in 2016.
Jimmy met the love of his life, Heidi, in 1991, and inherited an adventurous five-year-old boy, Jackson. They married in Destin, Florida five years later on July 19, 1996, a date that they both could never seem to specifically recall when celebrating an anniversary. They continued to share a love for the beach, spending many family vacations at their Florida beach home.
One of Heidi and Jimmy's favorite activities over their 30 years together was taking road trips across the U.S. while listening to great music. They would travel up and down the back roads, stopping to enjoy quirky roadside attractions while playing the 50-state license plate game. Over the years, they shared many rousing marital discussions over the rules of the game and if a certain state had or hadn't been spotted. They also kept a "trip log" where any and every incident was documented to enjoy and laugh at afterwards.
In his spare time, Jimmy took up a typical doctor hobby with the game of golf, a skill he never quite perfected despite purchasing every type of golf club known to man in order to hone his skills. Jimmy experimented with left-handed clubs, right-handed clubs, ladies' clubs and even children's clubs. No matter which club he used, none ever seemed to work. He had even been known to lie down on the course to study the green and get the perfect shot, much to the embarrassment of Jackson, who is an effortless player of the game.
Something Jimmy was actually very successful at was being a competitive game player. He was a "chess nerd" before it recently became cool, traveling the state competing in various tournaments. He also enjoyed playing gin with his buddies in the card room at Dornick Hills for
many years, until the world's largest casino opened in his backyard. At this point in time, Jimmy took up the game of poker, earning yet another nickname of "Stone Chap" because of his habit of using stones as a marker while playing the game. He was always easy to spot in the poker room in his cowboy hat, which he wore proudly although he had never ridden a horse. Ultimately, studying and perfecting his poker game became his life's passion. Jimmy was very analytical in his poker approach. His office walls were filled with enough charts and graphs to make a tree hugger's head explode. He could take some poker pros to task on any given day, coming close to perfecting the game. Some of his proudest poker moments were the years he played in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. We can only think Jimmy is up playing a hand at the great card table in the sky.
Jimmy was preceded in death by his parents, Lucille and Felix Chapman. Survivors include his wife, Heidi, of Ardmore, Oklahoma; his son, Jackson Adair and partner, Sarah Hoogenboom, of Tulsa, Oklahoma; daughter, Lydia (David) Bare of Norman, Oklahoma; daughter, Trish (Rusty) Weaver of Ardmore, Oklahoma; daughter, Debbie Barnes of Edmond, Oklahoma; and six grandchildren. He also leaves behind special furry friends Chloe, Romeo, Boots and Cookie. Jimmy's legacy also includes his many friends who will miss his sense of humor, dry wit and style.
A celebration of Jimmy's life will be held at 2:30pm on Thursday,Oct. 7, 2021, at Dornick Hills Golf and Country Club in Ardmore, Oklahoma.        In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Parkinson Foundation of Oklahoma ( info@parkinsonoklahoma.com ) would be appreciated.                          Heidi especially thanks the doctors, former colleagues and medical professionals for their kindness and care involved in Jimmy's final days.

Online condolences may be made at craddockfuneralhome.com