Byron Neal Chapman

Byron Neal Chapman, (Neal) born in Bluewater, New Mexico, on August 29, 1930, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by family on May 7, 2024. Neal’s childhood was spent in Bluewater until he moved to Mesa while in high school. He was a proud graduate of Mesa High School in 1948. He served his country in the US Army during the Korean conflict from 1951-1953 as a communications specialist. He then served as a missionary in the Western Canadian Mission 1953-1955 for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

He married Helen Richens from Vernal, Utah, on June 18, 1956, in the Salt Lake City Temple. Neal graduated from the University of Utah in 1960 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering after which he moved his young family back to Mesa, Arizona. Neal worked over 40 years for the Bureau of Reclamation in the US Department of Energy and Western Area Power Administration where he devised tools to increase the efficiency of power distribution throughout the country.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest Collins Chapman and Mary Genette Adair, and his siblings: Alma (Delmoe), Collins and Dr. Telford Chapman. He is survived by his wife Helen and their six daughters: LeAnn (Jim Walton), Marcy (Kent Petersen), Carla (Lyndon Smith), Candy (Dana Troxel), Rhonda (Art Dearing), Uarda (Andrew James) and by 39 grandchildren and 66 great grandchildren, two of which preceded him in death. Five more great grandchildren are expected this year.

A funeral will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2024 in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building at 2334 E. Pueblo Avenue, Mesa, Arizona. The viewing will start at 9:00 am and funeral services will begin at 10:00 am. Internment in the Mesa City Cemetery will immediately follow the funeral.