Surrounded by the love of his family, it is with great sadness and heavy hearts we announce the peaceful passing of Perri Chapman on Sunday, April 16, 2023, at the age of 65, after a courageous and hardfought battle with prostate cancer. He was a loving husband of 36 years to Nancy, devoted and loving father to Andrew and Darren (Sharmaine), dear brother to Dale (Lee) and predeceased by his sister Dawn. He was a dear uncle to Erin, Garth (Ashley) and Steven (Emma) and was predeceased by his parents Vincent and Patsy. He was a loving brother-in-law to Jim and Barbara Ridge. He leaves behind many dear friends and family.
Perri was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, and at the age of 12 was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and told he would only have one year to live. He defied the odds and lived a life filled with love, fun and adventure. After high school he started his career
working at Hamilton Health Sciences. He retired in December of 2017 after 42 years of service, first working in customer support and then in the maintenance department, starting at McMaster University Medical Centre and finishing at the Juravinski Hospital. He married the love of his life Nancy (Wilk), and was blessed with, and proud of, his two amazing sons Andrew and Darren.
After retirement, Perri served as Funeral Director Assistant for P.X. Dermody Funeral Home where he took great pride in driving the limousine and coach for grieving families.
He was a happy, caring, loving and gentle soul. He loved his cars and trucks, and early on had a snowplowing business. His passion for gardening and machines led him to have a rototilling and grass cutting business for many years. Perri had a talent and aptitude for fixing things and took great pride in maintaining his home, garden and workshop. He had a tool to fix everything and loved Princess Auto. He was always there to lend a helping hand to family and friends when something needed fixing or figuring things out. He was an avid fan of NASCAR, the Hamilton Tiger Cats and the Buffalo Bills. He will be missed by all who knew him, and his quiet and caring nature will remain with us always. Thank you Perri for enriching our lives and for all your love and support. The family would like to thank the amazing physicians and staff at the Juravinski Cancer Centre for the care that Perri received over the past year and especially in the final weeks of his life. A special thank you as well to the wonderful Bayshore palliative care nurses who so graciously cared for Perri's needs while at home.
Visitation will be held at BAY GARDENS FUNERAL HOME, 947 Rymal Road East, Hamilton on Saturday, May 6, 2023, from 9a.m. to 11 a.m. followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. in the chapel, then reception, with interment at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations to Trinity Lutheran Church, Hamilton or the Canadian Cancer Society would be greatly appreciated.