Joel B. Chappell

MILFORD, NH – Joel B. Chappell, 79, resident of Milford, died May 14th 2018 at St Josephs’ Hospital in Nashua, NH following a brief illness.

He was born on January 31st, 1939 in Staten Island, New York, and later moved to Union Springs, New York. He is the son of the late Benjamin Buckland Coman Chappell and Virginia (Boone) Chappell. He graduated from Union Springs Central High School, Class of 1956 and later attended State University of New York at Oswego. After many other jobs, he then worked for Sanders Associates Inc. where he was asked to relocate to New Hampshire and later retired after 41 years from BAE Systems as a Principle Engineer in 2004.

At a young age Joel developed a love of automobiles and a myriad of talents for many different hobbies that included and were not limited to: amateur radio; (KC1SG) Building and flying his own RC model airplanes, where he became AMA District 1’s Frequency Coordinator and editor of the newsletter for the Southern New Hampshire Flying Eagles in Merrimack. He and his wife Dorothy traveled much of the U.S. with their RV. He loved fishing as a child and into his adulthood as well. He also enjoyed photography, genealogy, and though he would deny it, he was actually a very good artist (like his father) with water color painting. These are just a few examples of the many interests he was passionate about.

He was a founding member and treasurer of the Amherst Lions Club.

Joel was also a man of Faith. He and his wife were very active and founders of the Church: Household of Faith, which originally formed as a Bible Study group in their living room and after many years, has now grown to its main campus in Amherst on Merrimack Road, which has now planted several new churches in Southern NH.

He was predeceased by his sister, Claudia A. Chappell.

He is survived by his wife of 42 years Dorothy Chappell; and his children, Tammy Mindo, Sharon Hepburn and her husband Cliff, Joel A. Chappell and his wife Dawn, and Daniel B. Chappell; two step-daughters, Christine Bakanosky and Donna Nelson; eight grandchildren, Perry Mindo Jr, Coman, Miranda, and Kassandra Chappell, Zackary and Timothy Whelan, Peter and Alexandria Edwards; and two great grandsons, Connor and Jackson Edwards.

Calling hours are on Thursday, May 17th from 4-7PM in the Smith & Heald Funeral Home, 63 Elm Street, Milford. A Celebration of Joel’s life will be held on Friday, May 18th at 10AM at Household of Faith Christian Church, 30 Merrimack Road, Amherst, with Pastor James Burbank officiating. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery, Milford. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please go to www.smith-heald.com