Albert R. Chapple

Albert Rainwater Chapple of Baton Rouge literally and figuratively died at age 87 ½ of a broken heart on July 18, 2026. He battled heart trouble for 31 years and the emotions of a broken heart 16 months before due to the deaths of his wife of 65 years and his beloved daughter.

Al was born to be a Pop Pop (his grandpa name). There was not much he loved more than holding a sleeping baby. He was an honest and hard-working man who made the best breakfasts for visitors. Al was content to sit back and be the support beam for the family.

Al was born in Cobbtown, Georgia, on Jan. 18, 1939 to parents Mary and Reverend William Edward Chapple II. Rainwater was his mother's maiden and his middle name and honored his Native American heritage. Mary was a school teacher and played piano for the church. Al was exceptionally smart and skipped a grade in elementary school and finished high school at age 17 and graduated University at age 20. The Chapple family with three sons mostly lived around Macon, but moved some in Georgia when Reverend William Chapple reappointed to a different Methodist church. Al spent several years living on a farm and could handle all the chores. Al was active in his churches, played flute, sang and always loved playing sports, especially basketball. He loved fishing and being outdoors. Al found peace and joy in God's outdoor creations.

Al started college at Emory at Oxford. He transferred to the University of Georgia where he met the love of his life Sylvia Dianne Higginbotham in January, 1959. Al graduated with a chemistry degree in August, 1959, and married Dianne on Sept. 12, 1959. Al worked for the Gillman Paper Company in Dianne's hometown St. Marys, Georgia. “A lot happened in 1959 and it was a good year,” Al said a few years ago. “I graduated college, got a job and got married all within six weeks. I was making $110 per week and that was good money at that time.”

Al also took plant jobs in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Mobile, Alabama, before settling in Baton Rouge in 1969. He worked for Ciba-Geigy and advanced to plant manager. Al later founded a rental real estate company where he and Dianne worked together. All three of his kids worked at some point for Chapple Properties.

Al is survived by two sons Chris (Laurie Genius) and Matthew (Michelle Smith); nine grandchildren: Andrew (Whitney), Alexander (Elizabeth) and Caroline (Alex) Chapple, Nicholas (Emily), Daniel, David and Tiffany Henney, Madison Chapple Blocker (Mason) and Mason Chapple; and nine great grandchildren: Evelyn, Abram, Alister and Archer Chapple, James and Millie Chapple, Hazel, Ida and Gwendolyn Henney. Al is preceded in death by his parents Mary and William Chapple, his brothers Billy and David Chapple, wife Dianne Chapple (March 26, 2025), daughters Karen Lynn Chapple (infant) and Kimberly Chapple Henney (April 5, 2025). Al and Dianne were married 65 years and they did everything together. Kim's unexpected passing was difficult for Al to handle with his congestive heart failure, vision issues and other ailments. Al hung in for 16 months after Dianne's passing and was able to attend his granddaughter Madison's wedding to Mason Blocker on April 24, 2026. The wedding at the Louisiana Castle was on Dianne's birthday. Al rode in a limousine that night with son Chris and three of his grandkids and spouses.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2026 at Broadmoor United Church, 10230 Mollylea Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70815. Visitation from 10:30 a.m. until shortly before the noon service begins. A reception will follow the service and all are invited. In lieu of flowers, please remember Al with a gift to Broadmoor United Methodist Church, or the Baton Rouge Food Bank. Reverend Leslie Hyacinth will preside, David Shaler coordinates the music and Nicklaus White is the soloist.

Al was able to retire in his early 60s. He travelled the world with Dianne. They particularly loved going on cruises (more than 26), RV camping and visiting Kim's family. Al and Dianne’s dream of living on water worked out when they bought a lake house in Granbury, Texas, where Kim's family lived. He fished often and hosted visitors. His fish fries were the best. Al and Dianne (Pop Pop and Grandma) made every high school and college graduation for their nine grandkids. They attended many of their sporting events over the years. They made each family member feel special and also had hat parties with hot dogs for the little ones. Al coached Chris and Matt in basketball in the summers when they were in high school. Al and Dianne loved watching Chris, Kim and Matt play basketball for Broadmoor High school. Kim's team once played Kim Mulkey's Hammond High. (The famous Kim won). Matt's team won the 1985 Class 4A state basketball title, and he was the starting point guard. It was Broadmoor’s first state title in boys basketball. Al and Dianne also helped lead the Broadmoor United Methodist Youth Group for two years in the 1970s.

Al loved playing cards and board games. He made sequence game boards for his family. His favorite game was Rummikub. He kept a record of the scores and he often won by moving the tiles around at the very end. He also kept a daily diary and ledger of expenditures. In the end, he was ready to reunite with his family in Heaven. His defibrillator had saved him 3 times over the last 11 years. Al had his first heart attack in 1995 and saw a heavenly light in a near death experience. “The light was absolutely beautiful,” he said shortly after. Al also had two bypass surgeries in 1998 and 2001. Al’s heart cracked when Dianne passed, but was totally broken in pieces when he lost Kim. Al finally passed due to cardiac arrest.

Al and Dianne also square danced. At one point they were members of three different square dance groups. Some of their best friends from square dancing also became camping and card playing friends. Those include Don and Carol Baxter, Susan Bordelon and the late Marguerite Wilton.

When all the framed photos of the grandchildren took over the walls of his game room, he switched to displaying everyone’s photos on foam boards. He enjoyed showing and creating the boards for each person and each yearly time cycle.

Al loved watching the University of Georgia sports teams. He was so excited when Georgia won NCAA football titles in 2021 and 2022. His favorite Georgia football players were running back Herschel Walker, linebacker David Pollack, place-kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, tight end Brock Bowers and quarterback Matthew Stafford. Al kept team pennants of Georgia and all the different colleges his family attended. Kim drove her parents back to Georgia to visit all the places they lived in February, 2022. “Most everything had changed and looked different in the towns we lived in,” Al said at the time. “We were able to find the graves of our relatives and I learned some things about the family. One of the highlights was going to Athens, home of the University of Georgia where I went to school.”

Al also loved watching women’s college basketball. His favorite player was Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. Clark broke the NCAA Division I scoring record with 3,951 career points. She currently plays for the Indiana Fever. On July 17, 2026, the night before his passing, Chris, Laurie and Al watched Clark score 45 points. She also had 10 assists, six rebounds, four steals and two blocks in a 110-107 come-from-behind victory over Seattle. She became the first player in WNBA history to record 45 points and 10 assists in a single game. The 45 points was a franchise record.

Al also liked clean comedy, and he sometimes told jokes. Some of his favorite comedians were Jack Benny, Bob Hope and Ray Stevens.

Al had a mechanical brain. He could fix most things. While in St. Marys and living in a trailer, Al bought a book about how to build a house and he built a 1,200 square foot house. The only thing he hired out was some of the plumbing, electrical and brickwork. “It was very exciting seeing the house built from the ground up,” Al said.

Al was a member of Broadmoor United Methodist Church for 55 years. “I know God exists and I love him,” Al said a few years ago. His favorite verse was Psalm 23 and his favorite song was “His Eyes Are On The Sparrow.”

Special thanks go to Al’s doctors: cardiologist Dr. Stephen Gremillion, primary Dr. Brian Gremillion and ophthalmologist Dr. Jamie Hatcher.