the first treasurer of CFS

 

Bill Chappell, the Reverend William Chappell

a life well and truly lived,

a man who knew himself

and who knew his God,

a man who made the world around him so much better

that young people at Carolina Friends School were drawn to him,

to his infectious laugh,

to his twinkling eyes,

to his seeing and feeling connection,

before you realized you were devoted to being with him,

Bill loved to laugh, to tell a good story,

he became treasurer of C.F.S. early in our history,

the principal promising him it was a simple job,

that he could tell Bill about it all in an hour,

decades later Bill laughed and lamented

he was still waiting for that hour,

before the books, came the people,

before the adults, came the children,

he came to school and finance from the ministry,

the Gospel a living reality:

the children close to the Kingdom of Heaven,

the Sermon on the Mount, a memo on how to live each day,

Bill joyed in his beloved Duke football and basketball,

we would go over to his house 

to watch games and cheer on the Blues,

for his 65th birthday we got him a basketball

signed by all the Duke team,

the school first found his wife Hilda,

whose competence and organization 

held the school together the early years,

and she found us Bill,

their partnership deep and enduring, 

with two fine sons,

his eyesight slowly failed him,

but his spirit never did,

any of us who knew Bill are better

for the time God allowed us with this extraordinary man.

by Henry H. Walker

April 28, ‘22