Jo Anne Strickland Chappell died February 20 in a Guadalajara hospital from complications related to a stroke she experienced in January. She was 77.
Born August 29, 1933 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Chappell graduated from that city’s Capitol Hill High school in 1950. While a student there, she was Redskin Sweetheart and Football Queen. She married her high school sweetheart Gene Sheets, a professional baseball player, and traveled with him across the United States. She later married Robert Dunn and they lived in Midland and Dallas, Texas, and in Algeria, as employees of DeGolyer and MacNaughton.
Returning to the United States, Chappell settled in Dallas, where she enjoyed a successful career in real estate.
She fell in love with Mexico and moved to Guadalajara in 1991. She lived in this country for nearly 20 of what she said were the happiest years of her life.
She married Dan Chappell and resided in the Las Fuentes neighborhood of Guadalajara. She served as a director of the American Society of Jalisco, was the president of the Ladies Auxiliary of American Legion Post Three and president of the International Friendship Club.
When her husband died in 2002, Chappell moved to Lakeside. There, she joined the St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, the Lakeside Irish Society, American Legion Post Seven and the Lake Chapala Society. She was an avid fan of the Lakeside Little Theatre and the Lake Chapala Society Writers’ Group.
During her final years in Mexico, Chappell enjoyed traveling throughout the county – particularly to Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo and Michoacan (during the monarch butterfly migration). She also traveled to Ireland and Brazil in those years. Perhaps her greatest passion at Lakeside was for bridge. In fact, she was playing bridge at the time she had the strokes that ultimately led to her demise. She refused to get into the ambulance until she played her final hand.
Chappell is survived by her daughter, Dr. Suzanne Dunn of Beaverton, Oregon, and a brother Franklin (Buddy) Strickland of Noble, Oklahoma. A sister-in-law, niece, nephew and grand-niece in Oklahoma also survive her.
Chappell loved life and lived every day to the fullest. According to her daughter, her theme song was “I Did It My Way.” She did it her way – right to the end.
A memorial service was held for Chappell on Monday, March 1 at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church. A second memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 20 at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Blanchard, Oklahoma.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, PO Box 841125, Dallas, Texas, 75284. A remembrance page has been set up for Chappell on line at www.pasajesdelavida.com/joann-chappell.
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