Albert Christopher "Chris" Chappell, Jr.

Albert Christopher (Chris) Chappell, Jr., 72, of Oxford passed away on August 8, 2024. Chris was born to Albert Christopher Chappell, Sr. and Hester Eugenia (Jean) Candler Chappell in Carteret County on March 23, 1952. He is survived by his wife, Jean H. Skinner; his sister, Annette Chappell Roberson (Tommy) of Henderson; his brother, William Richard Chappell (Charlotte) of Hampstead; his niece, Ellen Safrit LeRoy of Emerald Isle; and two nephews, Michael Roberson and Hunter Roberson of Henderson. Chris was born and raised in the beautiful and (once) quaint, (once) small, waterfront town of Beaufort. He grew up swimming with the dolphins in "the cut", riding his bike up and down Front Street and watching the wild horses run on Carrot Island. In elementary school, Chris was adorable and average. In high school, he was incredibly handsome, was above average in intelligence and was an exceptional athlete. In baseball, he started at second base and played in the state 2A championship game with a batting average of .400+. He was also a starting quarterback on the football team and received a scholarship to Elon University where he played for coach Red Wilson (until a knee injury ended his football career). After Elon, he attended North Carolina State University, and then he attended East Carolina University. Although he gained a lot of college credits, knowledge, insight, drinking skills and lifelong friends in his 4+ years of university, he did not earn a degree (much to his mother’s chagrin). Despite all this higher education knowledge swirling in his head, he decided he needed a real job skill that paid above average and so, in 1976, he attended and graduated from the North Carolina Truck Driver Training School (NCTDTS). He earned his CDL, hit the road, and drove cross-country for ten years....except during the summer months...which he spent on his commercial shrimp boat in Beaufort...a man has to get his priorities straight. He spoke often of his nights alone in storms and complete darkness as he reveled in the beauty and solitude of the sea that he so loved and respected. Chris spent a month in Europe, mostly around Amsterdam. The Russian nuclear reactor in Chernobyl blew up while he was over there, but he had always denied any involvement. In 1987, he tired of the open road (and running from the KGB) and applied for a job as an instructor at the trucking school he attended. They snatched him up! In addition to his 10 years of trucking experience, he had the gifts of patience, humility and tolerance that made him a favorite instructor. In a few months Chris was promoted to the Lead Instructor of this nation's oldest and most prestigious trucking school. Anyone who graduated from NCTDTS (provided they could pass a drug test and had no DUIs) quickly landed a job. The major trucking companies recruited from NCTDTS first! His exceptional skills gave him the ability to understand and acknowledge everyone as an individual and he could teach anyone the skills they needed to succeed. Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a typical truck driving student. Students ranged from those with very weak literacy skills, to laid off nonwoven fabric sales managers and unemployed automotive engineers with their PhD’s. He worked with them individually, on their skill level, so that they could achieve their goals. Each of his students were treated with kindness, dignity, and respect. For over 27 years, Chris taught over 5,500 students how to drive tractor trailers both on the Johnston County Community College campus in Smithfield, NC, and at various community college locations throughout the state. The phrase "From Murphy to Manteo" was probably coined by Chris Chappell! On May 9, 2014, Chris was inducted into the NC Truck Driver Training School Hall of Fame. After he retired in 2014, he missed teaching terribly, so he told his wife how to drive on a daily basis. During the other available hours, he became an incredible amateur gardener and could take a cutting and grow just about anything. He propagated countless trees and flowers that he shared with friends and family, he has a 30 foot avocado tree that he grew from seed and a lemon tree that produces lemons year round. Horticulturalist, J.C. Raulston famously quipped, “If you are not killing plants, you are not really stretching yourself as a gardener.” and Chris took this to heart. He quickly became really good friends with the city employees that pick up yard debris. When they came by (Roy, Burl & Travis), Chris would take them a bottle of cold water and a candy bar, thank them for the fine job they did, and ask about their families while they worked. This was another one of Chris's wonderful attributes; regardless of one's job, Chris enjoyed, valued and appreciated everyone. In addition to growing beautiful plants, gorgeous flowers and creating nature trails through the woods, his biggest joy was feeding and watching the hummingbirds. Chris would track hummingbirds on the migration map and make sure he had his feeders out before they arrived. He would leave the feeders up until the first frost because he knew what most people don’t know...hummingbirds know when it's time to migrate...humans don't need to tell them...and stragglers from up north often get a late start and would need nourishment on their trip back down to Central America or Mexico. Some years, Chris would have up to 20 hummingbird feeders spread around his property and they would all be buzzing with activity! Even when Chris was weak and confined to the sofa, recliner or chair, he always faced outside so he could watch the hummingbirds feeding. Despite his brave and painful ten month battle with aggressive, stage four, multi-organ cancer, Chris always remained positive; convinced that he could beat it and he never gave up the fight! When Chris took his last breath on August 8, he was where he wanted to be: in his home, in his bed, facing the hummingbird feeders and wrapped in the arms of his loving wife. Chris promised Jean that after he passed, he would return as a hummingbird and hover within inches of her face. As of this writing, he has visited her twice! If you are one of Chris's many friends and get closely buzzed by a hummingbird while outside, he might be visiting you, too. A Celebration of Life will be held at J.M. White Funeral Home in Henderson on Saturday, October 19, 2024. Visitation with the family will be from 1:00 - 2:00 pm, followed by the service. If you want to say a few words at this celebration, and/or join us for the family celebratory meal (doors open at 4:00 pm for cocktails followed by dinner around 5:00 pm) please send an email to drbigrig@gmail.com and we will add you to the program. Casual dress is required! Please RSVP no later than 09-21-24. If you wish, please make a donation to Granville County Animal Shelter, 515 New Commerce Drive, Oxford, NC 27565 in honor of Chris.