Cena Marthene Chapman, 101, of Morristown, and most recently of Ashford Place Health Campus in Shelbyville, went home to be with her Lord on Saturday, February 22, 2025.
Born on February 21, 1924, in Van Buren Township, Shelby County, she was the youngest of five children born to Harry B. and Mary (Winton) Cole. She married Paul E. Chapman in Paris, Texas, on July 29, 1945, while he was stationed there for basic training at Camp Maxey with the U.S. Army. He preceded her in death on June 24, 2008.
Cena attended grade school at Jericho and then Morristown High School, graduating co-valedictorian in 1942. During the war, she worked at Kennedy Carliner (KCL) in Shelbyville and helped her parents on the farm. After the war, she and Paul moved to the Brown Farm on the Shelby/Hancock county line in the Morristown area, then in 1951 relocated to the farm that Paul’s family had homesteaded. She took an active part in the farming operation, especially the dairy.
Cena was active in the Fountaintown Christian Church since her youth, baptized on Easter Sunday, April 13, 1941. She was a member of the Mite Society there and a longtime Sunday School teacher of the younger children.
A charter member of the Van Buren Township Jolly Members 4-H Club, she later was a co-leader of the Hanover Handy Maids 4-H Club. She also was an active member of school organizations while her children were in school and attended their programs and events, as well as those of her grandchildren later on.
It was only natural Cena would join the Merry Mixers EH Club, since she was a talented, hard-working domestic engineer. She was a great cook and baker, often tweaking or concocting recipes to her liking and almost always cooking from scratch. She preserved produce from her garden and from fruit trees belonging to her or others, plus gave her surplus away to friends and neighbors. Nothing went to waste. She was also a skilled seamstress, even designing her own creations when a pattern was not available.
Cena enjoyed her flower and vegetable gardens. At age 88, she downsized her gardens to smaller ones, which she maintained until age 92 and potted plants until age 98. She mowed her yard on the rider until May 2022. Hummingbirds were a great source of entertainment and interest in her later years.
Throughout much of her life, Cena had little time for sports on television. That changed when she retired. She enjoyed watching IU basketball and the Colts. However, neither of those teams could generate the zeal she had for the Pacers.
She enjoyed roller skating in her younger years, took up bowling when she retired, and Carrom and euchre were favorite games throughout her life. Even until recently, players wanted Cena for their euchre partner, since more often than not, they would win the game. She played trumpet in the orchestra in high school, and occasionally in later years would play a tune, usually a hymn, on it or on the piano, the latter on which she had no formal lessons.
Cena was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her brothers, Max Cole and Paul Cole, and her sisters, Alice Rush and Lucy Smith.
The last of her generation on both sides of her family, Cena is survived by her children: Paula (Mark) Nigh of Shelbyville, and Kevin (Aimee) Chapman of Carthage; grandchildren: Carmen (Andrew) Hawk, Carey Nigh, Ryan (Kaitlin) Nigh, Jason (Christa) Chapman, Justin (Denelle) Chapman, Cole (Heather) Chapman; great-grandchildren: Jacob, Abigail, and Graham Hawk; Reagan, Josephine, Beau, and Hazel Nigh; Trinity and Gavin Chapman; Chase, Jameson, Hanna, and Carson Chapman; and Conner and Braxton Chapman.
Visitation will be at Freeman Family Funeral Home, Frazier Chapel 124 E. North St., Morristown, from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 1, with the funeral, officiated by Pastor Joshua Hahn, immediately following at noon. Interment will be at Asbury Cemetery, Morristown.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Fountaintown Christian Church, P.O. Box 87, Fountaintown, IN. 46130 or Hancock Regional Foundation for Suburban Hospice, 801 N. State St., Greenfield, IN. 46140. Envelopes will be available at the mortuary.
