James Hubert Chapman, Jr.

James “Jim / J.H.” Hubert Chapman, Jr., born October 10, 1935, was a Georgia boy who became a beloved part of the Baton Rouge community. Better known as J.H. in Calhoun, he was a proud Air Force veteran, devoted husband, amazing father and Papa, and a friend to everyone he met.

He set the standard high—and he never, ever met a stranger. His granddaughter, Faith often wondered how Papa knew so many people. He had an infectious smile, a sharp and sometimes spicy wit, and a way of making everyone around him feel like an old friend. Right up until the end, his spirit remained strong: “Just one more day!”

Jim was married to his beloved wife, Melba, for more than 50 years before her passing in 2013. He came down from North Georgia for work and, as it turned out, never left. The two met in Lafayette, where Jim began his career in the financial world at a small-town credit union. Over the next 35 years, he built a distinguished career in the dynamic Baton Rouge banking industry. He began with Capital Bank in Card Services in the early 1970s and eventually retired from Hibernia Bank in Correspondent Banking in the late 1990s. Jim traveled throughout Louisiana, “calling on” hundreds of banks and building countless friendships along the way. For a man who spent so much of his career in banking, he never quite learned how to work a “rat”—his term for a computer mouse, which he refused to learn.

Jim attended Louisiana State University and Louisiana Banking School of the South and was actively involved in numerous charitable and civic organizations, including the Rotary Club, Downtown Lions Club, and the Board of Directors of the Southwestern State Bankcard Association.

He was a football FANatic. In our younger years, he could often be found watching one game on television while listening to another on a blaring radio—and yet another on a transistor radio in his ear. The only true “house divided” came when the Georgia Bulldogs played the LSU Tigers.

His love of sports began early. At Calhoun High School, he was a sports star as a Yellow Jacket, playing halfback in football, competing in multiple track events, and playing guard on the basketball team. In 1952 & 54, respectively, His football and track teams won Class C State Championships, all while he worked hard on the family farm. Nothing could be done until those chores were finished!

Jim was a lifelong member of Broadmoor Baptist Church, where he and his daughter had the honor of serving as deacons together. Our amazing church family has been a blessing to us all, especially during some of their most difficult losses, including the deaths of his wife and son, and, now, our beloved “little Daddy”.

Jim leaves behind his loving daughters, Danielle Chapman Gremillion and Michelle Chapman Dwyer (son-in-law, Keith); grandchildren Blaine Chapman, Chase Croy, and Faith Gremillion; and four great-grandchildren: Vivienne and Daisy Chapman (Blaine and Anna), and Cooper and Lilliana Croy (Chase and Jenna).

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Melba Ann Verret Chapman; his son, Jamie—the third in a long line of James Huberts; his parents, James Hubert and Nellie Jo (Faith) Chapman; and his brother, Howard Donnie Chapman, of Calhoun, Georgia.

Jim lived a life defined by faith, family, friendship, hard work, humor, and an unwavering ability to make people feel welcome. He leaves behind a legacy that reaches far beyond his family and career—a legacy of love, laughter, service, and countless friendships.

A memorial service celebrating Jim’s life will be held at Broadmoor Baptist Church on October 9, 2026. (He would have turned 91 on October 10th) Visitation will be held Noon until 2:00pm. Service begins at 2:00 p.m. with a reception following in the Broadmoor Baptist Activity Center, 9755 Goodwood Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70815.