In Memory of Kathryn Mary Chapman
Kathryn Mary Chapman
Spouse: Peter Kahu Shaw
Children: Stephen, Jacob, Renee, and Rory
DOB: November 26, 1951
Ascension: November 11, 2024
Seonghwa Ceremony: Saturday, December 7 at 11:00 AM at Bay Area Family Church
Flowers for the Seonghwa
Bay Area Family Church with delivery by Friday, December 6, 2024
(510) 483 4712
Kathryn Mary Chapman was born on the 26th of November in 1951 at Scripps Memorial Hospital to Charles Edward Chapman, an engineer who helped develop rocket engines, and Jean Mae Perry, an homemaker who later became a painter and sculptor. She grew up in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego alongside her three older siblings Tom, Bill, and Teri and her younger brother Ed.
Along the beaches and cliffs of San Diego she first fell in love with the ocean. Always athletic and competitive, she would have loved to taken up surfing but girls were discouraged from participating. Later she would teach her children to love surfing and the ocean as she did. She also loved playing guitar. A rebellious spirit at heart, at a young age she ventured off on her own. She drove through Mexico to work on a documentary. Later she moved to the mountains of Idaho, camping in the hills, took up skiing, and found a deep connection to the natural flow of the mountains.
Cathy joined the Unification Church in 1976, becoming very active as part of the LA branch of the church. She was Blessed to Peter Kahu Shaw, a Kiwi, at Madison Square Garden on July 1st of 1982. She spent time in Boseman, Montana working for the church before returning to California. She and Peter settled down in Berkeley, then the Oakland Hills, and later Hayward to raise four children, Stephen, Jacob, Renee, and Rory. Homeschooling each of her kids with the support of other parents from the church, she passed on her intellectual curiosity and passions to her children. Renee continues to excel in sports, snowboarding with her husband Teo every chance she gets and captaining an ultimate frisbee team in Pasadena. Jacob followed into the family's engineering tradition, working as a civil engineer after earning a master’s degree at UC Berkeley where he met his wife Lara. Rory inherited Cathy’s wanderlust, traveling the world in pursuit of surf and earning a psychology degree in New Zealand. Cathy was able to attend her eldest son’s wedding to Maribel in July of this year, the two having met as part of a study abroad trip in New Zealand nearly a decade prior.
In 2015, Cathy and Peter moved to New Zealand, living on both coasts of the North Island before settling amongst the forests and mountains of Peter's Māori ancestors. Cathy became a part of the community joining a local tai chi group, taking te reo classes, and participating in traditions of the local Māori. After five years the two returned to California, settling in the small town of Guerneville on the banks of the Russian River. They spent many days exploring the redwood forests and rugged coast of Northern California. They welcomed two grandchildren, Arlo and Kaia by way of Lara and Jacob. Always inquisitive, Cathy remained active in her local faith group and wrote a treatise to deepen her understanding of God.
This August, she was diagnosed with cancer. During her final months, she was dutifully attended to by her husband Peter and their son Rory, who had returned from Australia to care for her, with frequent visits and support from the rest of her family. She passed away on Remembrance Day 11/11/2024 at 3:30 pm, surrounded by her family. She loved her family, loved being in nature, and had a loving curiosity about the nature of God.
Please send all cards to Peter Shaw at 16351 First Street #24, Guerneville, CA 95446.
